


By Degrees

by Ayra_Chan, InsertACatchyPennameHere



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Brotherly Love, Family Angst, Family Fluff, Multi, Parental Love, Retold Fairytales, Retold Princess Stories, Retold Stories, Sisterly Love, This is a story about family, fairytales - Freeform, family love, reimagined fairytales
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2019-10-13 04:10:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17480912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayra_Chan/pseuds/Ayra_Chan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsertACatchyPennameHere/pseuds/InsertACatchyPennameHere
Summary: Fairytales can be dark and daunting, especially in their original telling, or they can be modernized and made to be much more appealing to most audience, circa mass media productions. The best way to tell these endeavors full of magic, action, drama, conflict and resolution, heroes and warriors, knights and princesses and so much more, however, is a combination of both, especially when it regards characters new and old we have grown to love.A fire queen. The lost princess. The rebellious youth. The forgotten child. The powerful baby. The Schuyler family contains five, not simply three sisters, and all of them are capable of much more than what meets the eye in the magical, mystical kingdom of Lin. As with all things, their adventures begin slowly and yet all at once, or as some may phrase it, by degrees.





	1. Daughter of Flame

It was often that the happiest stories began with tragic beginnings, even within the beautiful, prospering kingdom of Lin. The royal family became abruptly alerted that they were hardly an exception on the glorious-turned-bittersweet day that their first child was born.

“Oh, my darling, he is beautiful!” Phillip Schuyler exclaimed post catching his firstborn, a healthily sized and screeching baby that proved that a strong personality was already erupting for the world to behold. “Ah, wait a moment… _she_. She is absolutely beautiful, Catherine, she is! Why, she is the most divine sight I’ve ever laid my eyes on!”

“I’m glad to know she takes after her mother,” Catherine Schuyler remarked with an exhausted but elated sigh, a gigantic smile spreading across her face as her doting husband stood up with their daughter in arms. “Oh, Phillip, just look at her. Isn’t she perfect?”

The newborn howled out cries until she was finally settled on her mother’s bare chest, which calmed her so suddenly that the nurses tending to cleanup and treatment had to coo and chuckle along with the new parents. Once she was able to successfully latch, the new life nursed hungrily and contently as her mother was able to be re-positioned and relax for the first time in the grueling thirteen hours of labor prior. The photographer for the occasion was buzzing, clearly as adrenaline heavy as she was when the process began, but Phillip took this opportunity to settle in his chair by his wife’s bedside and marvel at the tiny human they’d produced together after a very happy two years of  prospering marriage. The pregnancy had been torturous to wait out, but quite easy as far as they could go (save the occasional bad bout of morning sickness or all the movement causing pain in the late third trimester,) but it all melted away at the sight of someone that was real, eating, breathing and making tiny noises now. From the moment they met her, they both knew how deeply someone could love a child, and that no matter what, they would do all they could to see her happy, successful, safe, and loved.

“Well, I suppose we won’t be naming her after your father,” Catherine remarked with a smirk.

“She certainly does not resemble him, anyway,” Phillip agreed with a small grimace at the prospect, which he’d always disliked the thought of. “She’s far too beautiful.”

“Perhaps we could finally put use to that name my mother always tried to get people to call her. I always refused to use it for the sake of my favoring the title, but...” the new mother mused with a fond smile to their daughter.

“Angelica?” He guessed before smiling more broadly if it were possible. “That sounds like a perfect name for her. It’s feisty and lovely, just like her.”

“Angelica Schuyler. Excellent choice, Your Highnesses,” the nurse with a certificate in hand complimented. “I will get this sent to records right away.”

“Do I have permission to notify the kingdom?” One of their most faithful employees, the captain of the Royal Guard, inquired immediately. “If you wish for me to wait, it shan’t be a problem.”

“Go ahead, James,” Phillip verified as he took in the sight of his small and loving family. “The world may celebrate along with us now; Angelica Schuyler has arrived in a bright, flawless appearance.”

The baby in question gurgled, seeming to be curious for the voice of her father. He felt tears of elation gather in his eyes as he reached for her, taking her petite hand and smiling so widely that his face ached when her fingers closed around his one. Angelica giggled softly now, her bright eyes shining against the lights of the room, which caused both of parents to do the same, thus encouraging her to do more of it. In fact, she laughed so purely and eagerly that she made herself sneeze. Normally, such an innocent action would have caused cooing and more joy amongst those who witnessed it, but all of the contagious laughter ceased the moment an unmistakable flame shot from the newborn’s mouth and puffed out the second it was a few inches from her face. Immediately Phillip got his feet, his eyes wide with panic and fear as his gaze snapped to his equally shocked wife.

“What in the heavens was that?!” He demanded sharply, as if she weren’t very evidently as confounded as he. “This is outrageous!! Do you mean to tell me that you have been cursed all this time and did not tell me?!”

“How dare you!” Catherine immediately rebutted, resentment at the wild accusation seeping through each word. “You are surely protective of that notion, Phillip! _You_ were the one afflicted by that witch not so along, aren’t you?! How dare you not give me the rest of the information on what she did to you!! How dare you transfer it to our child and then blame me!”

“I am not responsible for any such thing!” He countered furiously. “I am quite sure you did not keep your mouth shut for once in all your days and someone put harm to our baby while she was still developing in your womb! It is impossible otherwise!!”

The two went back and forth with such venom that anyone looking on would be sure to believe they’d had martial problems long before now, but in truth, that was simply not true. In reality the two were practically soiling themselves with anticipation for this day and anxiety that something, _anything_ could be wrong with their precious offspring that this was a perilous prod to cause a normally happy pair to clash with this much righteous fury. Angelica, unsure of why the two voices she recognized were yelling, began to cry and screech anew, her tiny hands balling into fists and face screwing up with the tears cascading down her cheeks. Much to her mother’s alarm and horror, the baby’s body heat spiked dramatically instantly, causing the blanket swaddling her to catch fire and sending two very frantic nurses scrambling to put it out and remove the helpless new life from potential danger. It was all Phillip and Catherine could do to speak more nicely to their baby, cooing and rocking and touching with soft, loving gestures to urge her back into a content sleep, and when it was finally over for the time being, they looked to each other with tears in their eyes and heavy hearts.

“What did we do wrong?” Catherine asked shakily, her voice a priceless piece of glass dangling over the edge of an unforgiving floor.

“If…if I may, Mrs. Schuyler?” One of the nurses, one that was clearly around their age with short, nearly white hair twisted into a braid voiced nervously. “I…I do not believe the case with your daughter is a curse. Though magic works in rather mysterious ways and benders of such forces can be quite malicious, they are usually blunt in what they cast; you two are of noble and good intent, so you would almost certainly know why and how you were being punished by someone more powerful in those fields. Instead…I have reason to believe that she is simply one of the rare few elemental conductors and producers born to ‘normal’ people. I know it is extraordinary unlikely and I would not have seen this coming myself, but it _does_ happen and we all have seen with our own eyes what she is capable of, at least in part.”

“…I believe you may be right,” the Queen finally conceded despite her disdain for the idea showing on her face already. “I suppose we will have to have research conducted at great lengths, then. Until this comes to pass, I believe some royal orders must be made to any soul who has been present since our daughter was brought into the world. I order for every individual to be called in this room and for the door to be bolted shut. _Immediately_.”

From that fateful day on, no person who had even a hint of knowledge about the rare and unusual condition of Angelica Schuyler was allowed to breathe a whisper of it lest they be publicly executed for high treason. The contracts were signed and a bit of money was squared away in exchange for silence before the family went to raise their child within their expansive palace with an entire staff monitored and regulated like they were military to ensure nothing left those walls concerning the princess. Fortunately, almost every single member employed there quickly fell under the ‘spell’ of the infant’s charm, and most of the maids, servants and specialty workers worked as a coherent unit to make sure she was safe, happy and non-hazardous as she grew into an independent-minded, sassy and delightfully intelligent toddler.

When the little spitfire turned one, the celebration was planned for months in advance, and the loving but petrified parents were very firm in insisting that she wear specifically crafted clothing: one dress that would completely extinguish any flames before they began across her tiny body, leggings that did the same, thick leather shoes that were padded with the same fire-expellant material, and gloves that came up to her elbows. The gloves were the most vital part to keep on the restless toddler, as they’d learned rather quickly that her hands were her most precise and powerful conductors of her power, so keeping her from pulling them off or dirtying them beyond being able to wear them properly was nothing short of a miracle. Aside from her bouncy curls catching on fire once when the song was being sang to her by the entirety of the kingdom, which a maid quickly squelched with a quick squeeze of the rags all of the staff had been equipped with at all times, it was successful and the secret continued to stay contained as the firstborn grew.

Unfortunately for the King and Queen, the worst of their trials and suffering had only begun with the arrival of their dear Angelica. They loved their daughter deeply, a notion that showed all the time, but their anxieties and apprehensions to let her be seen in the public eye only built the stronger her powers became without any control to balance it. A couple of months after the huge birthday bash for their firstborn, little Elizabeth was born, a normal child for all intents and purposes that gave both parents relief from their worries that was desperately needed in comparison to the infant’s big sister. Their toddler’s love for her petite little sister was instantaneous when she held her in her arms for the first time with a lot of assistance from her mother. From that moment forth, the baby was known as ‘Betsey’ from Angelica and ‘Eliza’ by everyone else, and the two sisters were inseparable. The older sibling was always pulling the younger along on a blanket or in a wagon, involving her in her various ‘adventures’ and playing with her rather than alone. Though the toddler initially resisted wearing her new everyday gloves when she wanted to be with the baby, she eventually grew used to it and things were a lot less stressful on their parents and nannies.

“Angie!” Eliza’s sweet voice roused the now two-year-old on the morning that another new member was added to the family, which was a notion that caused most of the kingdom to be both shocked and quite amused that their leaders were so rapid in their creating their lineage. “Angie, wake up…Angie! It’s _happin_!”

“’s…What’s….happenin?” The older toddler grunted as she opened her eyes, finding herself practically nose to nose with her excited sister.

“Mommy! Mommy…pop!” Eliza exclaimed, her tiny arms reaching high to the sky as she plopped onto her backside. “Gotta see, gotta see!”

“Okay~” Angelica replied sleepily, drowsily getting up and pulling on her gloves before helping her sibling off of her bed. “Come on...”

Of course, all traces of sleeping vanished the second she encountered all the excitement throughout the castle. They’d been pins and needles in their nanny’s side, refusing to sit and play like usual in the now designated areas until she’d finally broke and let them reside in a gated-in area just outside of their parents’ room. As children often do, they chattered and pretended what it would be like when their baby sister arrived, theorizing silly ways that she may look and if she’d be as pretty as them. In the end, they decided she would have blue hair (because brown was boring), look like Daddy more than Mommy unlike themselves, she’d be very pretty but might have a mustache, and her eyes would _definitely_ be green, or maybe orange or blue if they were lucky.

“Children?” The captain of the royal guard, who they referred to as ‘Mister James’ and who’d dedicated to be at every child’s birth for his close friends/the royal family, greeted as he exited the room after four tedious hours. “Are you ready to meet your new baby sister?”

“She here!!!” Eliza immediately cheered, jumping up and down and giggling as she inevitably tripped to the ground with a harmless ‘thump’. “Angie!! She here!”

Angelica laughed and helped her baby sister up before dragging her to the room, her hands ridiculously hot to the touch but not bothering her closest in age thanks to both the gloves and being used to it. Their parents were sitting on a small bed across from their normal one, a little yellow blanket bundle in Mommy’s arms while Daddy wiped tears from his eyes. The two year old was immediately annoyed when she saw light colored hair on her sister’s head rather than blue, but the disappointment immediately faded when she was lifted up to see and got to see that the infant’s eyes _were_ blue.

“Blue eyes!” She chirped excitedly to her family. “Blue!”

Catherine chuckled softly, smoothing back her eldest child’s curls with gentle attentiveness. “Almost all babies have blonde hair and blue eyes. I’m sure her hair will be brown and so will her eyes once she’s a little older.”

The excitement faded again for a moment before the toddler shook her head again, remembering back to how her other little sister had always had really dark hair and brown eyes. “Blue.”

Phillip chuckled and brought his little ones to his lap carefully. “Angelica, Eliza, this is your baby sister, Margarita.”

Margarita was a really big name, one that neither could pronounce. Angelica was still trying to figure out nicknames almost a week after her birth, but she was still captivated by how she looked. On the seventh day post the youngest sister’s birth, the worst tragedy imaginable struck, and the poor eldest sister would spend the rest of her youth blaming herself for it. She was asleep with her closest in age in their shared room when she had a nightmare, causing her singe her sheets and cry so profusely that was taken to the bathroom to calm down and clean up with her nanny comforting her. Because of their tending to Angelica, nobody was in the room when someone snuck in, probably from the window, and stole their dearest Eliza right from beneath their noses. Even if the two year old was one that noticed the vacant sheets, which had been folded like the little toddler was still there, she was inconsolable for days and weeks afterward as the inhabitants of Lin and her surrounding kingdoms searched frantically and endlessly for the lost princess.

“Angie?” Phillip called hesitantly, his face painted with fear and sorrow as he knocked on his toddler’s door. “Is it okay to come in? Are your gloves on?”

The little girl let out a shriek of defiance and frustration now, yanking the fabric on and simply glaring at her father as he opened the door to be greeted with the sight of scorch marks clawing all the way across the ceiling and throughout the walls and floor on what was her designated side of the room. “SHE GONE! Betsey gone _forever_ and it  _All MY FAULT_!”

“Angelica!” Her father entered quickly and picked her up, forcing her to sit on his lap and holding her like a prisoner until she finally stopped raging enough to cry and cling to him in a more stable manor. “Oh, Angelica, this is _not_ your fault. Not at all, not even a little, not even if you think it. Whoever took her is the only person responsible, okay?”

 Even as he comforted his little one, he knew that wasn’t entirely true. The entire royal guard and security personal had been essentially gutted, the King’s rage echoed throughout all of the land and sending shivers done the spines of those who had nothing to do with it. As the tears subsided from the toddler’s vision, she cast another sorrowful look toward the blue-themed side of the room and gripped the ruffles of her dress with trembling hands. She wanted to burn everything down- she knew she could, she knew that it would be dangerous- but it was only thing she could conceive to do to find her beloved sister.

“You know…” She said softly, voice quivering. “Betsey couldn’t say baby sister’s name…couldn’t say ‘Margie’. She kept…sayin' ‘Pargie’.”

“Pargie?” Phillip repeated with a soft chuckle. “I’m sure she’ll be able to say it once…once she’s bigger. What if that was her name, hm? Pargarita? Or instead of the nickname ‘Meggy’, it would be ‘Peggy’.”

“Peggy…” The small child echoed, looking to her father with more grief crumpling her face despite how she tentatively smiled for the first time in days. “Peggy. That...that her name from…from me and Betsey. Peggy.”

* * *

 

Time continued to pass over the kingdom of Lin, which continued to thrive in every area while the royal family changed, expanded and grieved. No matter how the efforts continued even now to find the Elizabeth, their lost princess, the teams came back day after day no closer than when they’d began. Catherine had taken a break on trying to continue growing a garden of children due to grief and crippling doubt in her ability to keep them safe, and when she finally conceived and birthed bouncing fraternal twins named Cornelia and John, the family was once again destroyed when the infants grew sick and died a couple of months shy of their first anniversary of life. The mother was not seen in the public eye for a year in her violent, soul-hollowing grief, and as she hid away and broke and re-destroyed herself in her pain, she became a much stricter, less sympathetic mother to her two surviving girls. Both Angelica and Peggy had rebelled all the harder in response, their spirits exploding in their youthful honesty and making them all immensely difficult to be around until she finally became pregnant again and brought a baby boy into the world, one that she’d named John in his late older brother’s memory.

Angelica herself had been immensely changed by the grieving that consumed all of what she loved. Despite not losing her strong and witty personality, she grew to be much more serious, a haunting smaller mirror to her mother. Having to watch her baby siblings be buried undeniably changed her and made her wary around John, so much so that she hardly interacted with him until he was too loud and mobile to deny at two. It was only then she slowly relaxed about his inevitable death not being immediate, slowly becoming the big sister she’d always been to Peggy and once been to their Eliza. Now their mother was pregnant again, and as the eldest child slept fitfully in her expansive bed, she found herself jostled awake by her very excited nine-year-old sister.

“Angie!” Peggy greeted excitedly. “Angie, come on! It’s super cold and I need to warm up! Come on, hurry~”

“Pegs, you know that’s dangerous,” the preteen grunted in response, rolling into her thick covers resolutely. “Besides, I’m tired; let me sleep in peace.”

“Angelicaaaa!” The younger immediately protested, adjusting so she was sitting directly on her big sister. “Don’t be like that! All we do is work, work, _work_ all day, and then we look good and we hide who we are. I want to be free! Don’t you want to be free while we can?!”

“And if we get caught?” The older grunted while stretching out as far as she could go.

“God, you’re never _any_ fun.” Margarita sighed loudly, sliding to the ground angrily. “Just because Mom is always grumpy doesn’t mean you have to be, you know. Dad isn’t always a butthead! Do you want to be like him or her? Or do you just want to be…to be…”

“To be a what?” She challenged, keeping her eyes shut.

“A _seek sorrow_.”

That did it for getting the eleven-year-old up and to her feet. The two practically flew through the halls, the elder hot on the younger’s heels, until they broke out into the open, frigid garden area that flourished between two of the main wings. Peggy immediately scaled a tree, one that was huge and well-worn from generations of children ascending it, leaving Angelica to grab fruitlessly at her legs and grunt.

“Alright, you’ve got me up. Be careful what you wish for, little girl,” Angie announced, extending her bare hands in front of her and creating a concentrated sphere of fire, one that was about the size of a soccer ball.

With a fair bit of concentration, Angelica lifted her creation up while keeping it in its spherical shape, twirling it in mid-air before sending it toward the sky and extinguishing it when she closed her hands. Heat blew down across both of them thereafter, making both grin and begin their play. Most of the tricks she performed for her sister were ones she’d rehearsed hundreds of times alone, simply bending of the flames she could so easily produce and send them into dazzling presentations that sparked and roared against the bitter cold of winter.

“Come on, Angie!!” Peggy rushed to her side, bouncing up and down eagerly. “Do the magic, do the magic!”

“I told you I wasn’t going to do that to you! You could get hurt!” Angie responded instantly, knowing exactly what was now being asked of her and regretting ever showing her sibling now.

“You won’t!! Just do yourself if you won’t do me!” The smaller girl whined, crossing her arms tightly but her eyes still sparkling hopefully. “ _Please_? I won’t ask for anything else! We can go in after this, I promise, and I won’t say a word!”

“…You promise?” The preteen inquired after several moments of silence, her voice sounding weak and hesitant even to her own ears.

The child’s head bobbed up and down excitedly, her blonde-tinted curls flying up and down with the motion, and she knew she couldn’t deny it to her beloved sibling. It was because of this Angelica found herself standing with her arms extended out and down, her palms heating so much that she could almost feel the intensity as sweat broke out across her back and face. Producing fire that destroyed was easy; all she had to do was envision it and it would be so, or simply move her hands too suddenly without her protective layers on. Producing fire that was safe, even healing…that was far more difficult and required so much effort, she was about to give up on the prospect before her beloved Peggy was covered in flames, all of which made her sister laugh and move her fingers through them as easily as the air around her.

“You did it!” Peggy cheered at once as her sister hesitantly moved it through her curls, causing them to spring up more and slide out of their tangles. “I thought you weren’t gonna do it me, but you did! This is so amazing!!”

A smile broke out across the preteen’s face, one full of relief and genuine happiness. She hadn’t meant to give this gift to her sibling in all actuality, but her mind kept drifting to her no matter how she focused in on herself, and now she could be even more sure about the safety of what she’d discovered she could do one day while she was in private and messing around with her abilities out of boredom. The older sister now grew the flames, causing them to lift her sibling up from the ground a few inches and allowing her to spin around slowly, her legs dangling but her weight mostly supported by the reactions strongly resisting the contrasting air and gravity.

“Let me walk to you!” The nine year old girl suddenly exclaimed, one foot extending to her trustingly. “Come on, I want to walk on thin air like they do in the movies!”

“Peggy, I don’t think-”

“Stop being a seek-sorrow! I’m coming to you, ready for not!”

It was all the bigger youth could do to continually support her sibling, her hands aching with the terrible effort and head beginning to throb at all the energy it required. Once Peggy was standing before her, she was supposed to be able to simply drop her, but much to her horror she’d realized her panicky actions had caused her to raise significantly higher, so much so that a fall would surely harm the younger Schuyler. If little Margarita was worried at all like her sister, whose heart fell to the pit of her stomach, she didn’t show it as she laughed and did a backflip in the air with her arms extended recklessly.

“Wow, thank you!” She cheered elatedly. “I’ve never been up so far before! This is the best day ever!”

“How do I get you down…?!” Angelica asked herself aloud, quietly enough to try and not alarm Peggy as she cast a reassuring smile to her. “God, no-! No, that’s higher, _crap_!”

Young Margarita was now level with their second story window and was now rapidly elevating, causing her to giggle furiously and do more gymnastically trained moves. It was only when she became level with the third story that she looked back down and her eyes widened, her mouth falling open as she realized the real danger she was in.

“Angie…?” She called anxiously. “Can I come down now??”

“I’m trying, Pegs!” Her elder called back, her hands shaking and knees giving out beneath her as she exerted all she had to keep her sibling in the air. “Don’t worry! I’ll get you down! N-nothing bad will happen…”

There were snow banks all around them, some considerably thicker than others. Thinking back to her science classes, Angelica figured that Margarita would be alright if she just got her somewhere that would absorb the impact, so she began to move her toward one of the heaviest, tallest snow piles nearby while doing her all to lower her sister without making her plummet. Her child sister was nearly there when Angelica's back seemed to give out on her, sending the creator of this phenomenon face-down into the snow before she sat up desperately as Peggy let out petrified screams that shook her to her core. Out of desperation, she threw one hand forward, sending a fiery gust blasting toward her sister that hit her in the shoulder but made her land in the intended snow bank.

“PEGGY!” Angelica shrieked, her body weak and shaking uncontrollably as she raced to where her sister now lay in obvious pain. “Peggy, Peggy!! I’m so sorry, Peggy, this is all my fault! I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry-!”

Poor little Peggy turned her head toward her, her eyes shiny but a small smile tentatively appearing on her lips. “A-Angie…it’s okay. I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay, you’re hurt!” The eldest Schuyler offspring exclaimed as tears began falling from her own face, dripping onto the snow in drops that sizzled loudly. “I should’ve never let it go that far! Now you’re hurt, I hurt you and this is all my fault!!”

“I wouldn’t have let you live it down until you did and you know it,” the smaller refuted softly before gripping her sister’s hand despite how warm it was. “I’m okay, my shoulder just…really hurts. Can we go inside and just pretend this didn’t happen so Mom and Dad don’t lose it?”

When she finally looked at her sibling’s shoulder, her breath caught hard in her throat. The mark was loud and burnt against the other’s otherwise clean, soft skin, one that fell in a curved line like someone had tried to cut her at an angle. The end of the curved line expanded out, kind of like a mini firework explosion at the very tip, and the preteen couldn’t help but think that the quirky addition suited her sister beautifully. Guilt quickly swallowed that thought, sending Angelica into fresh tears as she helped her poor sister up and inside for her wound to be treated. The bandaging process was painful and they had to look up how to do it before they made it worse, but when it was finally said and done and they were back Angie’s room, she yanked her gloves on and buried her face deeply into her pillow before making a promise aloud.

“No more fire powers around anything that lives and breathes,” she whispered while the cool, only slightly warm ‘normal’ tears cascaded like rain. “Never again. Never, ever again.”

* * *

 

Even though it was immensely difficult with Peggy being a determined and forgiving little soul, Angelica Schuyler managed to keep her promise to herself for five years. In that time, their little brother Phillip Jeremiah was born and the family suffered the unimaginable, indescribable loss of their sibling triplets, all of which died either in utero or a few hours after being removed via C-section. Catherine was never the same after that; no longer was she open-minded, sweet ray of sunshine of her youth, but a cold, callous woman that time sucked the joy from and left nothing but a woman that was hardly compassionate, extremely strict, and had so little hope aside from what she so desperately hung onto that she ran the kingdom and her home like a machine where nothing was allowed to go wrong. Their father, Phillip, just seemed to be constantly weary, his eyes were always foggy with some unspoken sadness while his heath overall nosedived as their surviving four children grew older. With their parents usually emotionally vacant or depressing, the staff took it upon themselves to teach, discipline, and show unconditional love to the two teenagers that the King and Queen almost refused to parent, and keep their two little brothers on the right track while their parents doted on them constantly. Thanks to her age and best understanding of who her mother and father once were, the eldest child knew it was because she and her sister always reminded them of what they’d lost, and they’d all lost so terribly much that Peggy’s rebellion and her own unusual powers being a scandalous secret were too much. It did not make it right, but at least she understood and loved them despite unlike her sister, who essentially disowned them.

It was on the morning of Angelica’s sixteenth birthday that she came face to face with Catherine Schuyler again. She was alerted briefly by the Queen that there was something very special that she’d never been told before due to age and previous concern over the matter, and was now left with a thick manila envelope that her mother refused to let her open until she’d gone back to her own usual routine. The birthday girl took the opportunity to finish dressing and performing all that had to be done for her to be fully presentable, including slipping on a set of beautifully laced and warm specialty gloves before she delved into the mysterious folder.

Inside, she found several things, all of which were very beautiful and each more exquisite than the last. The first was a locket, one that was shining a lovely rose gold and that she immediately slipped over her head to admire it against the light. The next was a box with the most gorgeous ring she’d ever seen, one encrusted with real silver and gold pieces shaped like roses. She gasped and looked over it for a few minutes before forcing herself to move on, where she located plane tickets to a faraway kingdom that she’d never heard of but had pictures of that made it look like a undeniably beautiful and relaxing place to stay as well as a bathing suit so small she blushed terribly upon looking it over. At last she found a set of pens, ink and quills, all of which were expertly crafted to show how antique and fancy they were, as well as a neatly folded, handwritten letter that she read excitedly.

_My most dear and beautiful Angelica,_

_You cannot imagine how long I have waited to meet your acquaintance. From the day you turned of age and I received my first pictures of you, I knew that you  would make a remarkable partner, exceptional friend, and a nearly perfect wife to tend to all of my needs in every area of living. You have always been absolutely gorgeous, far more than your mother, who I respect greatly but hardly holds calling to what she managed to produce for me. I have been told by King Phillip and the Queen that you were not informed of our arrangement until today, so now I will be happy to fill you in._

_My name is James Reynolds. I am a prince in my own kingdom, a beautiful and prosperous land of riches and elites called Delphia. I am quite proud to call it my home, and as you may have seen from the tickets I got for you to travel here, it is absolutely gorgeous. I believe you will adjust here well, as Lin is not quite as successful but is designed similarly in  its streets and means of transportation throughout. When I was a ripe, strapping young lad of only thirteen, I was promised a perfect wife to adorn my arm as I reigned over my kingdom, and for all of these years I have waited and waited to meet you. You and I are to be wed in the autumn, as that is when you expressed you would like your ‘future engagements’ to be, and you will move here to the right hand to a throne bearer._

_You will be quite pleased at the specimen that you have been dedicated to since before you were even born. I am absolutely gorgeous, much like yourself; my pictures are enclosed at the very base of this letter. I look forward to meeting you tonight at your party, where we undoubtedly bond and share a few dances as we get to know each other more intimately. Who knows where it may lead after that? Perhaps it will be a perfect opportunity to explore each other in ways no one has ever explored, well, you before._

_Until again, my turtle dove,_

_J. Reynolds_

The parchment that the words were so eloquently written on was thick and waxy to the touch, so it made a loud flutter and slide as it fell from her hand across the cool floor. In her very young life, she’d only just now begun the process of dating with the idea of courting being far away in her head, simply an option for when she knew somebody formally and loved them with total certainty. All of these thoughts had been taught to her by her parents and various mentors throughout her life, and yet none of that meant a thing as she pulled photos of a man she’d been promised to since her birth; this man who wrote to her as though she was precious ornament rather than a human being. Despite what she invariably knew about his personality, she had to admit to herself that he was quite handsome with his short, curly black hair, hazel eyes and slight smirk, but she banished any hints of attraction away by ripping up the pictures and banishing them to the nearby trashcan.

“MOTHER!” She yelled in a strong, outraged voice, throwing open her door and storming from her room into the hallway. “MOTHER!”

No response came aside from one of the maids, who was quite frantically trying to calm her down to no avail. The freshly sixteen year old stormed throughout the palace, throwing open doors with reckless abandon and yelling until her throat was raw. She couldn’t find her parents anywhere and only seemed to work up the staff she encountered, but nobody in the entire kingdom was upset as she; of that she was certain. When she’d searched every room with no luck, she made her way outside and dug her hands into the thickest bank of snow she could find after ripping off her gloves, reveling in the freezing feeling it brought until her heat made her limbs sink all the way to the bottom of where they were leaning until she was touching soaking wet, muddy grass.

“Miss Schuyler, please!” Her loyal nanny’s- Nana's- voice was one she could recognize anywhere, and for her the teenager slowly turned around.

“Why did nobody tell me?” She demanded shakily, her entire body trembling anew as she bit back tears bitterly. “How could you let me live my life as though I were free, only for me to find out on such a happy day that I am a slave after all?”

“That is quite a bit of an overstatement,” Nana refuted with a stern look. “Your parents have done all that they have out of a place of love for you. This is what will be best if this is what they decided, I am quite sure.”

“No. This is what’s best for the kingdom and their reputation, not _me_ ,” Angelica responded coldly while folding her arms over her chest. “This was decided either the day I was born, or even before. This is unmistakably a move to unite two opposing kingdoms, likely for the prosperity of Lin. This has nothing to do with what is ‘good for me’ or whatever other excuses the Queen and the King have thrown out.”

“If you understand the politics behind it, then why are you making such a big fuss?” Nana walked over slowly, her hands enveloping her face in a maternal, gentle fashion that never failed to make her release tension, even if just a bit. “I know it’s far from ideal, sweetheart. You don’t even know this gentleman and you are expected to marry him; how ridiculous! However, he is a very well-mannered, polite and cordial gentleman who understands how he is to behave around women. I believe he will suite you just fine, and eventually, if you give him a honest chance…”

“I cannot love someone who I have been told who I am to feel about,” Angelica countered firmly. “I appreciate your efforts, Nana, but this is unforgivable and unacceptable. I will not go through with it! I absolutely refuse!”

“I’m afraid you can’t refuse,” her beloved nanny responded while shaking her head sympathetically. “The arrangements are set and the stakes are far too high, little one. You have done all that you do in the interest of your family growing up. This is the most important thing you could _ever_ do for them, me, the entire staff, and your kingdom, and you are willing to shy away because it isn’t ideal? I know you are so much stronger than that, my Angelica.”

Angelica’s heart felt as though it may explode as it lodged in her throat. She was far from perfect; she had a short-temper, she argued constantly with authority, she did things her own way and had a hard time admitting when she was wrong. Unfortunately for her, she realized quite a few years ago that being well read and intelligent meant that she did not exist with the majority of the crowd, her path much more difficult and often against the grain of how the populace was content to operate. Even if she rarely saw eye-to-eye with her people, she had a very deep sense of honor embedded into her very core, and the pride and love for the place that had raised and protected her for her entire existence was too strong to ignore.

“I’d like to be alone now, please.”

Though the older woman hesitated, she obeyed the gentle command and left the teenager to stand alone in the expansive backyard of the palace. With the cover of their enormous home and the nearest cluster of civilization being nearly twenty miles away, it was the perfect place for her to practice her powers, which she often did and considered doing even now before she recognized she was far too worked up for such a precise activity. Instead, she allowed herself a rare moment to simply let loose, let the full extent of her power come roaring out of her core and through her hands as she silently cried and bit back screams in order to avoid causing more of a scene than she likely already was. She was a lady, an intelligent young woman with a sharp tongue and an independent spirit that helped her thrive, and now she was being tossed to a cordial union with a man that already disgusted her because even after all the loss and pain, her parents were still ultimately selfish, and so was anyone in Lin that agreed with them. Hell, their people didn’t even know about her abilities; it was their best keep secret, and yet everyone seemed to know about _this_ and not utter a peep when knowledge of her fire powers had cost at least a dozen people their lives over the years.

When she was cried out and the rage subsided to more regulated energy, Angelica Schuyler opened her eyes to find that her backyard, which was previously a winter wonderland despite the slowly melting snow, was completely barren and the birds in the surrounding trees were now flying around in the air, cawing frantically. She looked to them for a long moment against the glare of the sun above, then slowly went inside to begin preparing for her massive birthday festival later that evening.


	2. The Value of Having Been Taught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The things that a young member of royalty does despite themselves are for a lot of reasons. For Angelica, it concerns her family and those she governs over as well as newly added weight concerning her own state of being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT NOTE: I did change the name of who Angelica's intended is. I'd advise rereading the first chapter if you haven't read it in the past two/three weeks for that purpose, as that goes very heavily into play going forth. I apologize for any confusion, but trust me, the update will help the story overall be much, much better! Thank you! ♥
> 
> Hello, my darling loves! I know it has been so terribly long since I uploaded (because university has been swallowing me alive along with other projects), but the summer is here and that means more time to dedicate to writing! I actually hope to be on an upload schedule, so look forward to seeing that. In the meantime, I hope that this long anticipated update to this story was worth the wait, and keep an eye for updates of the rest of my Hamilton stories (if not the others too, muse willing)! ♥

For all of the inner turmoil plaguing the eldest Schuyler child, the sounds, sights and smells of her lavish sixteenth birthday festival were absolutely enchanting. She watched from her most favored bedroom window as nearly all residents of their kingdom filled the streets, greeting hundreds of people from visiting kingdoms and making pleasantries with big and small royalty as they made their way toward their castle. Children played gleefully and twirled their sparklers/lighting toys while parents shopped, socialized with friends and family, or ate some of the hundreds of options they had for food. Angelica’s own stomach made a small noise at the idea and she managed a tiny half-smile before turning away, checking over her outfit and appearance in her grand mirror a final time. As the most celebrated individual of the day and evening, she wanted to look her best; it was certainly not for the gentleman she’d be forced to meet that she’d be married to.

“Are you almost ready, Angie?” Her beloved maid whom she affectionately referred to as ‘Nana’ called from just outside her door. “I hate for you to miss a second of this celebration. It is all for you, _ma petite chou_.”

“I am, Nana” she called back politely as she smoothed down the eloquently patterned folds of her rose-colored dress. “Do you have the gloves I ordered be made for this eve?”

“Of course, sugar.”

Angelica took another long gaze at herself and wondered briefly if anybody else would be happy to tell the trouble behind her eyes. For good measure, she gave her reflection a small smile before turning away, slipping into her favorite low-heeled shoes and appreciating how the width of her skirts completely covered the fact she was wearing faded, almost antique pale blue shoes that hardly matched her gown. The freshly turned sixteen-year-old made her way to the grand double doors of her room and pulled open the door, smiling kindly to Nana and gratefully accepting the polished wood box her brand new, heat-resistant gloves came in.

The gloves themselves were off-white and tinted with the same rose shade of her dress, and even had a rose stitched as though it were growing near her wrist on the left side of each glove. They were nearly perfect for what she had in mind, truly, and the piece that made them truly flawless was the name ‘Betsey’ embroidered in gold at the very base of them. Angelica carefully took them from their velvet inner casings and slipped them over her hands, both of which were still warm from her outbursts and exertion earlier. She’d at least managed to settle enough to have all of her nails groomed and painted since then as well as do her makeup and have her hair styled into the elaborate half-braid, half loose and curled style it was in, so she refuted any internal conflict she felt about turning the backside of their estate into a summery scene.

“You look stunning, dear child,” Nana told her with a fond, proud smile. “You make all of us overwhelmed with pride.”

“Thank you,” Angelica replied with a sincere smile creeping onto her face for the first time since she learned of her terrible fate in being betrothed. “Do you know where my parents or siblings are? I still need to speak with them.”

“Your parents are entertaining your most esteemed guests. I suggest you save any heated or…controversial words for a more ideal time,” her aging servant warned in a tone tinged with strict warning. “I am sure your brothers off playing with their friends and cousins. I’m afraid I have no idea where little Peggy may be.”

“She is probably in the heart of it like Phil and John,” Angelica remarked with a fond smile and eye roll despite how her maid’s words concerning her parents agitated her further internally. “I will go on my way. You are fully dismissed; go enjoy the festivities with your family.”

Nana smiled softly once last time to her before making her way down the hall, already undoing the pieces of her usual uniform in preparation of changing into much more celebratory clothes. Angelica smiled after her for a moment before making her way hastily toward where her parents would likely be, her head held high and walk radiating the confidence she felt about giving her mother a well-earned piece of her mind. If she were to marry a man she did not know, she deserved to have gotten to know him, or at least be told if this many years before she had the ideas to fancy other men and fantasize about her dreams coming true on her conditions. From the staff that had raised she and her sister, she knew that her parents own union was taboo and unexpected; it was hardly fair they seemed not to understand a thing about what it felt like to be young and have the privilege of being free along with all of her other blessings. The birthday girl had full intentions of making it be known rather bluntly that a life of luxury meant nothing at all without maintaining at least some freedom, and that if nothing else, she deserved a sincere apology for what was being forced of her to do. After all, she’d made up her mind she was never going to love this creepy, flirtatious older man, not even if it would be easier to try and be contented by his side.

“…being completely unreasonable!” The sound of her mother’s voice stopped the eldest princess in her tracks, her head turning toward the small bedroom that it was coming from. “If you cannot act like a proper young lady about this, I will treat you like a-”

“Treating me like a child is all you seem to know how to do!” Peggy’s voice shot back definitely before the sound of several small objects being rustled and moved hurriedly filled the otherwise mostly silent air. “You hardly paid me attention when I was actually little, and now that I am grown-”

“ _You_ are not grown!” Mother snapped in a strong, authoritative voice as Angelica quickly approaching where they were feuding increasingly heatedly. “You are a girl of fourteen years! Your behavior is appalling, and I suggest that you watch your mouth before I give you something to complain of! You are not at all too old to be locked away from the festivities, and not grown enough to not be embarrassed of in public if I must!”

“I think you are doing this because you are _afraid_ ,” Peggy sneered regardless of how others far older than her would’ve tucked tail and been obedient by this point. “You’re _afraid_ because you have NO idea who I am! You don’t know your daughters so you’d rather marry them off to whoever offers rather than let us rightfully rule when the time comes!”

The sound that rang out after a few moments of completely silent, tension filled air was undoubtedly a slap, and that was all Angelica needed to swiftly throw open the bedroom door. Peggy stood at the front of the room, her eyes blazing with fury and set upon their mother, who looked just furious with the slightest hint of guilt creeping across her stern, glowering face. The newly sixteen-year-old quickly stepped between the two of them, her arm extending to find her younger sister’s hand and holding it tightly when she found it clenched into a trembling fist.

“What is all this fuss about?” She demanded tightly when neither of them offered to justify what she’d inevitability just witnessed. “Can you not two not make peace with each other long enough to join in the festivities?”

“We were arguing about what she’s making you do, Angie,” Peggy muttered defensively as she removed her hands to fold her arms across her chest tightly. “You’re _welcome_ , by the way.”

“Don’t take your venom out of me, I’m not here to cause more issues,” the older of the two siblings quickly replied in an even voice.

“What Angelica will be doing will benefit not only our family, but our entire kingdom.” Mother was standing completely erect, her face vacant of any previous apprehension she had about striking her daughter and eyes as cold as usual. “Mister Reynolds is a very intellectual, privileged and strategic gentleman that will treat her as a Queen ought to be hailed. If you have further grievances that do not _at all_ concern you, Margarita, I suggest you speak with the priest. If you ever behave as you just have to me again, I will not hesitate to treat you as treasonous as any criminal who disrespects my authority. Am I made clear?”

The eldest Schuyler sister’s lips parted in shock as their mother’s words pierced through both of their souls. Standing there between two of the most important people in her life, Angelica was forced to swallow the truth that the mother she once knew really was gone. Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler was a cold, apathetic, callous leader who did not distinguish her wrath between the sinners and the saints. The warm nurturer of their early childhoods had evidently died along with their late siblings, and all that was left was a cruel queen who did not truly care for her children, if she even cared for any soul other than her own. The birthday girl blocked her only surviving sister from their birth giver fully now, trying to make her own eyes as cold and apathetic as the face of the woman threatening death for disrespect.

“There is not a trace of doubt that she understands your implications, my Queen,” Angelica replied in a voice super saturated with forced respect. “I shall dare to remind you that we have other business to attend to on this evening, including my making acquaintance with the gentleman I first met through his letter this morning. With your blessing, I will handle Margarita going forward, and you could return to the festival.”

The queen’s expression was impossible to read, but she gave a curt nod. “I shall leave the two of you to your dawdling, but I expect the two of you to join Lin on this momentous occasion. I shall confess that I expected much more caprice on your behalf, Angelica, but I am pleasantly surprised to see that you are behaving as a proper young lady is meant to. You will make a fine queen, my dear.”

With that, their mother exited the room with a pointed motion to silently shut the door rather than slam it, as Peggy more than likely would have done. Angelica barely had the opportunity to turn to her sister when the poor girl threw her arms around her tightly and began sobbing wildly, her sobs muffled by the fabric of her older sister’s dress and grip vice-like round her. The sixteen-year-old didn’t hesitate to embrace her tightly in her arms, rubbing her back and resting her chin on the top of her head as she realized that she hadn’t the slightest clue of what to say to her understandably distraught sibling. It surprisingly only took a few minutes for her younger sibling to settle her tears, standing up independently and wiping at the remnants of her grief with her sleeves.

“What are you going to do?” The fourteen-year-old princess shakily inquired, thoroughly surprising her sister on the evident heart of her sorrow. “You can’t marry that gross old man, Angie! He’s a disgusting creep!”

“I would not worry so readily about me,” Angelica replied warily. “I do not want you to be so careless in your disrespect any longer, particularly to our mother. She is a very powerful, dangerous woman, and I would not put it past her do to do something truly heinous. You are in significant, very real danger if you continue behaving as you have been, little one.”

“Mother will not slaughter me. Papa would never allow it, and he has more authority over her anyway,” Peggy shot back readily. “But what are _you_ supposed to do about this pedophile?! Surely you will not marry him!”

“I do not have a choice as to whether or not I shall marry him. The decision has been made for sixteen years now, if not longer,” Angelica replied evenly, for she knew that showing her true emotions on the matter would only upset her little sister further. “It will not necessarily be an unhappy union, anyway. He has sent me lavish gifts already, and he has quite a…way with words. I do not believe he will be a terrible suitor.”

“Yeah, but for you to have been promised to him when he was a teenager? That’s disgusting! It’s even worse if it’s actually attracted to you when he’s a grown man!” Peggy exclaimed. “If nothing else, I know you understand that morally that is not even remotely acceptable!”

“I will remind you again that I have no say or choice in the matter,” the older sister refuted with a heavy sigh. “I appreciate your worry, I truly do. You have been more conscious and protested more than anyone else since I received the word of what was expected of me going forward. For that, I thank you, but I may not have you hurt for it. Is your face alright?”

The fourteen-year-old before her simply scowled at the ground. “She didn’t hit me that hard. It doesn’t matter, but you do.”

“Margarita, I will not hear another word about it from you!” Angelica finally exclaimed, anxiety for what may come of her if she continued to be so reckless overtaking her. “Don’t you dare speak another whisper of it, young lady.”

“And if I do?” The younger teenager challenged.

The older young woman only pondered it for a few moments. Unlike their mother, she would never strike or lock away her sister, no matter how petulant she was being. She’d been known to have grounded her for up to a week’s time and enforce it strictly, but that would not work for this situation. Instead, she would threaten taking away something that meant just as much to her as her freedom.

“I will decree it be enforced you have no sweets for this next two weeks,” Angelica told her firmly.

Peggy’s mouth immediately fell open, eyes wide with shock and appall at the idea. “You wouldn’t!”

“Do you truly wish to test me? I do not make empty threats, little girl, I make promises.”

“I’m not a little girl!” Peggy let out an indignant huff and crossed her arms, clearly sour but equally unwilling to give up her ability to have her favorite type of food. “You’re a big bully is what you are, Angelica Renee. Threatening your baby sister over her livelihood because she loves you! The horror!”

“I thought you _weren’t_ my baby!” Angie teased, softening immediately as she cupped her beloved sister’s face with one hand. “I love you, Margarita Jasmine. I hope you know that despite my willingness to discipline you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Peggy let out a huff through her nose before embracing her tightly, sincerity in clear from her hold as she spoke her next words. “I love you, Angie. Please be safe no matter what happens. I can’t…I-I can’t…”

“You won’t lose me. You’d never get rid of me that easily,” Angelica assured softly while embracing her just as affectionately, kissing her head and smoothing back her hair. “Now, let me put a bit of makeup on you and we’ll join the fun. There are lots of delicious things to eat and I refuse to take them on alone.”

Though she was certain their mother would’ve put at least eight layers on the youthful girl’s face, Angelica did a basic three layers and set it before taking her sister’s hand and leading her down to the entry level of their castle. As expected, diplomats and royalty from quite a few of the surrounding kingdoms and further were mingling throughout the area, all of their regality evident in the finest dress they possessed in their respective nation. Customary lapel pins with the symbol of the hosting kingdom adorned everyone of importance while many children ran around with miniature flags of Lin or were dressed in the kingdom’s colors. The smell of foods of all varieties along with perfume and baby powder wafted through the air, making the whole event feel more like a dream that reality. As the two siblings descended the stairs, somebody called out that ‘The princess of honor hath arrived!’, and immediately the formally pleasant and playful environment switched into full formality and respect.

All of the common folk anywhere nearby immediately deeply bowed or curtsied; a few even dropped to their knees. The children old enough to do so, though some did so with a bit of stern prodding from their parents, got to the ground and sat on their knees, heads bowed slightly with most of them still peeking through their eyelashes. The guards stood at attention and the household help immediately froze in place, bowing their heads immediately. All of the royalty in the room folded their hands before them, below the waist, and leaned their upper torsos just far enough to indicate respectful without them fully submitting their heads down. Despite the fact that this happened every time one of her family members entered any event that included their people or guests, Angelica felt a mild blush tint her cheeks as she released her sister’s hand to curtesy politely, being sure not to make it too deep despite how she appreciated the inconvenience the respect undoubtedly brought some.

“Thank you all for attending this festival. It is an honor to dine and socialize with you all this eve,” she announced loudly, her voice clear above the hum of music and festivities beyond the walls. “I hope that you will make yourselves spritely and comfortable within our beautiful kingdom. To all of our visitors and esteemed guests, we welcome you into Lin, and to all of our residents, we thank you for participating in such a momentous occasion for all of us. Merry festivities!”

Applause followed her spiel, and thankfully the attention shifted back off of her enough for her release a quiet but deep exhale. Peggy returned directly to her side and gave her a wink before they finished their journey down the stairs hand-in-hand. No sooner had their heels met the polished marble of the flooring where they pulled in opposite directions, her younger sister swept off by a girl she recognized as one of Margarita’s closest friends while Angelica was pulled toward a circular formation of people with crowns and gratuitous amounts of the finest clothing by her mother. Catherine’s grip was far more steely than usual, her eyes trained straight ahead as she escorted her daughter toward these individuals with so much haste that said daughter wondered if this was her parent’s attempt to alleviate an awkward or terse exchange.

“King Jefferson, Lady Jefferson,” Mother interjected politely. “King Miranda, Lady Miranda. King Reynolds, Lady Reynolds. May I introduce you all to my eldest daughter, the young lady at the center of these celebrations, Angelica Renee Schuyler?”

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesties,” Angelica followed up with another curtesy that was only made possible by her subtly and firmly yanking her forearm from Catherine’s death hold. “I must offer you my sincerest thanks for your attendance this evening.”

“The pleasure is ours, dear girl!” One of the evident kings, an older gentleman with ragged, wispy white locks pressed beneath his crown exclaimed while extending his hand out. “King Jameson Reynolds at your acquaintance, young miss. I see now fully that we’ve chosen a fine young woman for our young prince to wed!”

“I was confident that any child of Lady Van Rensselaer Schuyler would be a beauty!” The woman dangling on his arm that looked half his age crowed proudly. “Just look at those high cheekbones, and her hips are ample for birthing strong sons. She’ll do beautifully for our Jaime, just beautifully!”

“Yes dear,” King Reynolds replied in a resigned tone with weariness that Angelica figured could only come from marrying such a shrilly optimistic woman.

“What promising prospects the kingdoms round these parts produce!” Another king, one that was far more handsome than Reynolds and had an equally stunning wife who matched his mostly youthful appearance, commented. “It is fascinating to meet all of you, truly. A hearty congratulations from our kingdom to yours for your birthday and betrothment, Miss Schuyler.”

“All of your approvals and thanks are music to my ears,” Angelica responded in a sweet tone she’d been trained to use with a smile to match.

“If we could find a suitable young woman nearly as eloquent and beautiful as you for our eldest, we’d be rich in more way than one!” The last king, a portly man with a powdered wig and a gigantic nose, exclaimed. “Our promising finds always end up off the market in one way or another! It’s preposterous and frustrating to no end!”

“Dearest, you must be patient with our Thomas,” the woman nearest him chided, and Angelica had to internally remark on how beautiful this queen remained despite her aging. “He has lost so much in the past five years. Must you continue to rush another union when he has made it clear that he wishes not to wed any other way than he did originally?”

“Five years! _Five years_ he has had it his way!” The king scoffed and took another long drink from his whiskey glass. “I tire of his petulance and constant refusal!”

“I’ve learned that leaving boys to their own devices is occasionally the best thing anyone can do for them.” The woman on the youngest’s king’s arm chimed in kindly, and Angelica had to admire her immaculate beauty as well as the older lady’s. “I do not attest to know the answers you seek, King Jefferson, but I did feel it appropriate to interject a suggestion given your frustrations.”

“Lady Miranda, I thank you for your words.” The older lady- Lady Jefferson, she must be- said with a genuine smile playing across her lips. “Henry, put your concerns away for this evening. This is about young Angelica and James, not our personal engagements or lack thereof, yes?”

Something about the way Lady Jefferson tacked James Reynolds into the purpose of the festival did not sit quite right with the birthday princess. After all, this was _her_ sixteenth year of birth that everyone was commemorating. She herself had no idea of her evident betrothal until this very morning, and yet everyone else seemed to have fully accepted what was to become her future as well as having known it. Somehow, the reality of her parents having kept this from her for her entire life hadn’t sunk it before, but it did now with another wave of cold resentment.

“I apologize, but I am quite parched,” Angelica voiced with a tiny, tight smile. “It was a pleasure to meet and speak with you all. Please enjoy the celebration; the night is young!”

Without sparing a glance to her undoubtedly now subtly agitated mother, she turned around and made her way hastily to one of the beverage tables. As she poured herself fruit punch and glanced around to make sure she hadn’t been followed, she reluctantly forced her body to untense despite the anger brewing beneath the surface. She’d grown up with the full impressions that her parents were as honest with her as any flawed but loving parents, but she was realizing this was far from the case all too quickly to process. Her mother was ready to treat her own offspring like criminals if they continued to resist, and she hadn’t even seen her father since the previous night. Without at least a bit of trust in her parents, Angelica wondered if she could truly have a real, meaningful relationship with them going forward.

 The questions began to race in her head and accelerate her heart the longer she mused on it. What else were they keeping from her? What else _had_ they kept from her? What if these potential things were as world shattering and life changing as a forced marriage was?

_What if they are hiding something about Eliza?_

The last question made her feel both frozen with horror and hot with righteous fury. As much as she’d like to tell herself that they’d never do such a thing, Angelica was only met with the largely indifferent reality that she didn’t _know_ that anymore. The freshly turned sixteen-year-old was so shaken that she quickly downed her juice, refilling the glass and moving to the main entrance/exit in order to get some fresh air. If she could lose herself with the copious amounts of people and not have to socialize any further with her damned birth givers until the cutting of the cakes, the night could potentially be at least partially saved.

The cold wind was a welcomed change to the heat of indoors. Angelica briskly walked the grand staircase leading to the entrance of their castle, her skirts undoubtedly ruffling and wrinkling with her careless striding, but she could not bring herself to give a damn. After all, she’d walked this path since she was much tinier, and had done it like this when people were around or otherwise. To hell if it upset anyone, she determined internally as she reached the expansive cobblestone of below. To hell with the whole damn engagement!

“Princess Angelica!” A small girl, one who looked no older than five, exclaimed as her wandering eyes caught sight of the royalty. “Princess Angelica! Will you come dance with us?!”

“Dear, be polite to the royalty!” Her mother quickly interjected, but said princess quickly shook her head and walked to be directly before them.

“Of course I will,” Angelica assured with a smile. “Please lead the way for me.”

For the next couple of hours, the teenager was able to essentially lose herself with her lovely kingdom residents and the visitors. She danced for so long that she was inclined to pull off her shoes by the time she had a rest, seated on a bench that was just big enough to handle the weight and magnitude of her skirts with a full plate of food being devoured by her. People who passed her smiled or averted their gaze politely, but there was no political tension or unspoken hatred surviving well tonight. This was _her_ day, and not even the most bitter of the classes were going to be outspoken about their complaints. Angie had to admit to herself she was quite proud of the effect she had, her parents influence included or not, even if it was only for one day out of the year.

“Hello, Princess.”

Something about the way the unfamiliar voice said the formal title made Angelica’s skin crawl just enough to fully turn her attention to the man who’d spoken it. He was tall and slender, dark-skinned with thick curls that were tied into a braided bun. His beard was even more magnificent than his well-manicured magenta suit. His eyes were a deep shade of golden brown, ones so vibrant they nearly looked fake, and he was standing with so much clear confidence in his posture that she was immediately turned off by his presence.

“Good evening,” Angelica replied evenly despite her budding distaste for this stranger. “This is quite a party, yes? Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I suppose so. These events all begin looking the same after a few years of it, though,” the gentleman remarked. “Would you kindly mind moving your dress so I can sit?”

Though his delivery certainly needed work, the sixteen-year-old obliged in moving the half of her skirts on her non dominant side. “You speak very boldly, sir.”

“I suppose it comes with my own influential position,” he drawled as he sat beside her, his arm audaciously draping behind her on the back of the bench. “Are you not cultured well enough on your allied kingdoms to know who I am?”

Another strong wave of distaste washed over her, and she felt her carefully maintained grip on her composure begin to fault rapidly. “Perhaps it is because you hardly act as though you’re of the most elite class. As a matter of fact, _sir_ , you act as though you are little more than a common flirt with very little to compensate for your confidence.”

“I suppose you wouldn’t know anything about having to maintain a persona to be charismatic. Your future is already all set up for you,” the man replied coolly. “It must be nice to be in a position where you only have to reject and never pursue, _Princess_.”

“Excuse me?” Angelica demanded sharply, turning to face him more fully with her jaw setting hard. “If you’re astute, why are you conversing with women in such a way? Should you not be happily wed, or is that too ‘good’ for you?”

“My partner that I promised myself to for all of our days has passed away, as a matter of fact.” Now this man’s voice was cold and short, matching hers with its sharp edges and darkening irises. “Thank _you_ for your pressing concerns, truly.”

“I apologize for my neglect in speaking, but you were disrespectful and careless in speaking to me first. That does not mean I ought to return it, but I am not pensive enough to turn the other cheek,” she responded after a few awkward moments of silence. “I hope that you understand.”

“I do.” The gentleman did not drop his arm from its position, but his expression softened around the edges to prove he was sincere in his words. “And you still are still unfamiliar with who I am, I take it?”

“You are the child of King and Lady Jefferson,” she ventured. “If you are not, I apologize, but I haven’t the slightest idea of who else you may be. I find myself interacting with neighboring kingdoms most often, so I must admit I find little time to extensively study outlying kingdoms regardless of our ally ship.”

“That is I, yes,” he finally confirmed. “I’m probably going to sound like an asshole for saying so, but you need to hear it: You should absolutely find the time to learn all of the governmental officials that make up your allies. That is, you should if you truly care for your kingdom. It’ll be on your hands someday and I can’t imagine you want to let everyone down.”

“As a fellow child of royalty, I would hope you’d be more compassionate and empathetic, but it would appear I’d be mistaken.” She straightened her posture and directed her gaze back to her still dancing people in order to recover some of her composure. “I am not perfect, and neither are you, though it appears you like to pretend you are. I am well aware of what I am doing as I prepare to rule my new kingdom in the future. I advise you to mind your own business and keep your judgement out of mine; leave that to those it actually concerns.”

Though he finally removed his arm from its implicatory position, the royal man nodded solemnly and gave her a mildly flirtatious crooked smile. “I suppose you have a point, darlin.”

“I’m not your ‘darlin’,” she responded sternly.

“No, that would be for James Reynolds,” he retorted sharply. “Your loving betrothed. I’m sure you’d be very pleased to know how he speaks of you behind closed doors.”

“Oh? And you have spoken to him?” She raised an eyebrow at once and folded her arms over her chest defensively. “And what, pray you tell, does he say?”

“Sorry, Miss Schuyler, but I’m not in the business of ruining marriages before they’ve begun,” Jefferson replied easily, as though the weight of his words wasn’t tremendous and he was increasing her anxieties by a hundredfold.

“Then will you at least indulge me in knowing your first name?” She exhaled sharply and tightened her arms in the fold they were in over her chest.

“Thomas,” he conceded while reclining fully against the bench. “And you are Angelina.”

“Angelica,” she corrected, giving him a sly smirk of her own. “It looks like you don’t know everything, Prince Jefferson.”

“Princess Angelica, ma’am! The king and queen insist upon your presence immediately!” One of their family’s event servants exclaimed as he approached the two royal figures. “If you would, ma’am. The celebrations concerning the cakes are prepared for you.”

“Very well. Thank you,” Angelica said steadily in response. “I will be right there. Please pass that message along to them.”

“Yes ma’am, of course.” The servant quickly hurried back through the crowd, the royal insignia on his uniform gleaming in the twinkling lights of the night.

As she stood up, the sixteen-year-old cast a final look down to Thomas Jefferson, the strange and somewhat charismatic future leader of his own kingdom. “I will speak with you again, I imagine?”

“If the fates allow it,” Thomas drawled in response, relaxed smirk across his face and eyes bright.

Flustered, agitated and irritatingly intrigued, the eldest Schuyler child reluctantly began making her way back through the masses. No amount of congratulations and kind words could dispel the mood settling like a storm over her brain. No amount of delicious food and drink could settle the soul-deep nausea gripping her stomach. No amount of self-reassurance could convince her to truly relax again. She was going to meet James undoubtedly in person on the balcony of a home she’d grown up in, and then she was going to wed him in a very public, loveless fashion. She was not like any other woman in Lin; she had no choice but to say ‘yes’. Being publicly disowned and shamed would be terrible but being ostracized would be a better fate than being slaughtered like she would be for anything other than complete compliance.

“There you are!” Mother quickly grabbed onto her arms and pulled her inside the castle. “Where have you been? This is no time to be indulging in socialization with the common folk!”

“There’s nothing wrong with conversing with common people! They are our future,” Angelica protested with her voice tight and small. “I understand that the elite are very important in our futures and our current relations, but so are the working class and poor class!”

“Nobody is implying that they are not, but there are formalities that are expected to be performed,” her father chimed in as he began walking at her other side once they reached the top of the first flight of stairs to the grand balcony. “You are behaving strangely tonight, little one. Is everything alright?”

Things were far from alright. It was absolutely deplorable how naïve the two people who raised her were being, but she swallowed it for the sake of saving face and not hurting everyone involved.

“I am just nervous about meeting Prince Reynolds,” she said with a thin, tight smile. “He has certainly made a powerful impression thus far. It is impossible to determine someone’s entire person through a letter, though.”

“That is perfectly understandable,” Papa said with a kind smile to her that almost made her feel guilty for her internal anger. “I am quite sure you two will have a great meeting. Any man would be lucky to have you.”

If any man would genuinely be lucky to have her, she figured they’d leave the choice to her sensibilities. Angelica simply smiled her practiced smile and continued to match her parents in stride up to the grand balcony, not bothering to chime in with whatever they were speaking of briefly on rest of their way. Once on the correct floor, Mother quickly ruffled, then smoothed, out her skirts while checking for stains and dabbing away any spots from sweat or the outdoor condensation. Her hair and makeup were touched up by more hired event help, her dress was retightened and straightened up, and she was ushered to stand behind the grandiose balcony doors in wait.

“Where are my siblings?” She finally got a chance to ask as she waited for the appointed Master of Ceremonies.

“We were unable to locate Margarita in time,” Mother replied tightly. “And your brothers are sitting outside like the well-behaved boys they are.”

“Mother, most children are well-behaved at that age. Margarita is young and free-spirited, and trying to squelch it will only do damage,” Angelica finally said in an identical tone. “It may be hard, but you should learn to trust that she is well aware of what she is going through and doing. She deserves that from someone who says they love her but rarely shows it.”

Her response’s timing was nearly perfect, as the Master of Ceremonies finished whatever spiel he was on about and had the guards open up the balcony doors. It did not spare her from the expression Catherine gave her, however. The teenager had never seen her female parent look so genuinely shocked and betrayed, not even in all the grief that defined who she was, and she realized with another lurch of nausea that she’d likely never get that image out of her head with the knowledge that she was the sole cause of its existence. Regardless, she kept her formal, blank expression on as she began walking out, into the applause and cheering when she felt at the height of her newly implied unworthiness.

* * *

 

It was all going as per usual for large festivals until it was time to cut the sixteen grand cakes made with care and creativity. In the privacy of their family before the incident with Peggy, Angelica always delighted in the opportunity to make a small show out of her pyro abilities when she was cutting her cake. It always delighted her siblings and entertained her parents, even if it was reluctant, and it proved her moderate control over her usual abilities. After the incident, she cut it as normally as possible, but her anxiety usually made the icing around the knife melt as well as made the knife she used untouchable for a good hour or so. On such a monumental birthday in front of so many excited, celebrating people who almost all adored her while knowing nearly nothing of her, she was nearly hysterical within her own mind.

“Princess Schuyler, we are all thrilled for you to do the honors!” The Master of Ceremonies exclaimed those dreaded words sooner rather than later, at least in her mind. “Will you cut the first slices of these _gorgeous_ birthday cakes?”

“I would be delighted to,” she replied as cheerfully as she could manage. It sounded overcompensating to her own ears, but if anyone noticed, they didn’t react.

As steadily as she could, Angelica removed the gloves that were protecting everyone in the kingdom from what she _really_ was. If it were up to her, she’d wear them as she did this process and condemn anyone who suggested otherwise, but it would be too odd to wear such beautiful gloves when doing such a precise task and it wasn’t truly worth the social risk, at least in her mother’s opinion. She took the newly polished knife in both hands and walked to the first cake, a beautiful strawberry treat with ‘ones’ adorning the icing. The teen found herself blinking away tears as she slowly brought down the blade, evenly slicing the first, modest piece and forcing herself not to shudder as she removed the undoubtedly wicked hot tool.

 Fifteen more times. Aim. Slice. Remove. Move on. She repeated this mantra inside her head nine more times, but on the eleventh cake that was made of red velvet, she made a mistake. She was beginning to lift from another successful slice when the metal, so horrendously overheated it was beginning to mold itself in her hands, bent hard with the force of her connecting it to the plate that held the pastry. It surprised her so much that she dropped the blade, sending it to the patio flooring with a sharp clatter. Immediately after, sparks flew from her fingertips, lighting the top of the eleventh cake on fire thanks to the sheer amount that were produced in her mortification.

“Whoops, the lighter!” One of the maids on guard nearly right beside her exclaimed, quickly using one of her fireproof towels to beat out the flame. “That was my mistake, everybody! Please pardon it!”

Some disgruntled laughter echoed through the crowd and those on the patio, but the damage was irreparably done to Angelica. It was all she could do to finish the other cakes with a new, backup blade that matched the original one, which made another tool she subtly mangled with her uncapped power. When she was finally able to announce that the cutting was done and they were ready to be disrupted, she was able to conceal the small sob that choked its way from her throat from between her firmly pressed lips.

“Angelica Schuyler!” A male voice barked out just as she began to make her escape post the balcony doors finally being shut, securing the privacy of being inside for the royal family. “Just where do you think that you are going, angel?”

The freshly turned sixteen-year-old could hardly contain the grief trying to erupt from her lips as she turned to face the speaker she’d be dreading all day. By all traditional means, James Reynolds was not an unattractive man. His hair was cut with a deep under shave, the lengthy top secured into a very small ponytail beneath his crown. He wore a deep brown suit that didn’t unflatter him but didn’t do the opposite either, and unlike most other men, his facial hair was scraggly and not well groomed. As a matter of fact, he looked agitated if not bored as he gazed upon her, the girl he was to marry. He approached her several long strides and took her arm roughly, pulling her so abruptly she nearly toppled into his chest, before he finally gave her a toothy smile.

“You’re even more exquisite in person,” he announced finally. “You will make a fine woman to love and bear my children.”

“I look forward to ruling beside you, Mister Reynolds,” she replied with a tentative smile of her own. “You are rather pleasant to the eye yourself.”

It was a subtle thing, really. Her parents almost certainly didn’t catch it, nor the attending staff or entertainers among them. Angelica herself could not miss how James’s eyes flashed with something different when she spoke, his mouth twitching into a small smile that looked strange and forced. She also could not deny how his grip on her tightened, and how he pulled her more tightly to him so that he could speak lowly into her ear.

“I believe you misunderstand, my little turtle dove,” her betrothed husband said very deliberately, each syllable weighted with its sincerity. “You and I will not both be ruling. You are a woman, sold to my very prestigious family and myself for our use. You do not have the option to not hold your tongue and control whatever prospects you imagine yourself having in mind. It is not as though you could handle them; you are but a naïve little girl. Do not worry, you will be trained well beneath me. Am I understood, angel?”

It was worse than she could have ever imagined, and she had no autonomy to resist. Every plan of what she’d do in the face of very apparent, very real danger staring her hard in her eyes flew from her like a powerful punch to the gut, leaving her feeling hollow and helpless. The rest of her life was going to be exactly like that before, only more so emphasizing survival. She was going to be small and inspiring in her grace, never a threat, and never to be disobedient. The consequences were far too hefty a price to do otherwise, no matter how she wanted to under either her family or newly appointed husband, so she simply put on her usual smile for the sake of beginning the end on a sour note.

“You are, Prince Reynolds. My apologies.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave kudos/subscribe/bookmark/leave a comment if it so compels you! ♥


	3. Found Kindling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sacrifices that are made are not black-and-white to others as they are the eldest princess of Lin. Ally-ship is found in unusual places.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this chapter in June and it took a long time to write it, so I tried to make it long enough to compensate that at 8, 219 words. I hope you all enjoy, and thank for so, so much for all the love and support! My upload schedule will be announced very, very soon! ♥

“Princess Angelica? May I refill your cup, ma’am?” A middle-aged servant inquired politely, coaxing the sixteen-year-old from a mostly content daze that she’d been performing pleasantries with and interacting beneath all afternoon.

“Yes, Elise, that would be lovely,” Angelica replied in a similarly cordial tone, lifting the teacup from its saucer and glancing around at the other young women conversing and enjoying the bridal tea party. “Thank you.”

“Is there anything else I may do to further provide you comfort?” Something in Elise’s eyes was different than those others who’d been tending to her for the months leading up to the event rapidly approaching; the royal was struck with the reality that perhaps this servant was one of the few who recognized and sympathized truly with her internal suffering. “Perhaps a bit of music, or more pastries? I am partial to the strawberry strudels and fresh flan myself.”

“Yes please,” the girl replied while giving the worker a smile she knew revealed some of the sorrow that seemed to encapsulate her very existence. “I appreciate your going above the status quo, ma’am.”

Elise simply returned a sorrow-tinged smile before going off to her task, leaving the teenager to turn back to her upcoming bridesmaids and rejoin their chatter. Most of the young women before her were pleasant enough- at the very least they were cordial, polite and treated each other with the utmost dignity and seemingly genuine respect- but they were not those that she was the most committed to in her personal life. Being the eldest child of rulers of a successful, beautifully prospering kingdom meant that the few she considered her friends that were of much lower social standing- which was all of them- were not permitted to be part of her esteemed ‘dreamlike’ court assembling. It was both traditionally and strictly enforced by the two families involved that not a soul of lesser social importance was to be seen so lavishly in place of those much more trained to behave as they were expected, no matter how deeply unhappy it may make the ‘blushing bride’.

In truth, she only truly cared meaningfully for two of the eight ladies serving to be her union of confidantes for both traditions and leisure. One of which was her much adored younger sister, who she’d been so fiercely protective and maternal toward that she was able to have chosen despite fourteen being quite an unusual age for a future queen’s bridesmaid. The other was the only princess of a nearby kingdom she’d grown up with since they were very small, a sharply intelligent young woman by the name of Catherine Sidgwick whom she respected greatly for her notably excellent published essays as well as wit sharp enough match hers or Peggy’s. The others were mostly princesses from neighboring and far-reached allies alike- one was even from a country that was a well-distained enemy of Lin until the recent half decade- and one was simply scholarly enough to be deemed acceptable company as per the private request of Angelica that at _least_ one youth present be non-royalty. All of them save from Peggy were either her age or older, and while she did not dislike or resent their presence in her life and their joining her on this long journey, she could not help but recognize within herself that her more genuine companions would have made something that was meant to be ‘her big day’ at least somewhat enjoyable.

“I tell you, the stylists are assembled from all across the nations! They will make you feel as pampered and catered to as you’ve ever been. You’ll really feel special, I promise you,” Dolly Madison- princess to the future king of Bell Gove- insisted to a rather dubious Mary Philpse (single princess of the small country of Anacortes.) “Can you testify the same, Mrs. Adams?”

“I can indeed!” Abigail Adams, happy wife to Prince John Adams of Brantree, agreed while stirring her tea. “Did you witness the style they prepared my hair in? Never in my wildest dreams could they do what I described, and yet they did with flawless grandiosity! I am eternally grateful for them.”

“Will they truly do anything you request of them?” Angelica inquired, as though she did not know her intended had already strictly told her what she was going to be wearing to ‘her’ wedding. As a matter of fact, he’d been choosing and mandating her outfits since the day they’d met with his relentlessly sharp anger and actual legal enforcement, but it was not as though she was able to say a word of it here.

“Yes! It is most remarkable,” Abigail confirmed with a bright smile that could only be had of a lady truly in a very happy marriage. “I do encourage you to be creative, my dear.”

“We will see,” Angelica said with a thin, tight smile. “In truth, I suppose you could say that Prince Reynolds and I will be dressing for a very traditional union ceremony.”

“Oh? And does that mean we will finally be able to faun over the gowns we will be adorning?” Molly Hays, her very revered bridesmaid who was a war hero rather than simply royalty, inquired with her eyes sparkling. “I know you haven’t been holding out on us all this time, Miss Schuyler!”

“Perhaps I have~” Angelica admitted in an amused drawl, sending seven of her counterparts into an excited flurry of laughter and questions that overlapped at once. “I suppose I shall reveal it now that I have unmasked the surprise!”

As the teen walked over to the patch of flowers within this expansive garden that she’d carefully hidden the beautiful artistic renderings of said dresses in, she felt an unusual flutter of excitement within her chest. James had been relentless, not allowing her to choose a single facet that he was aware of in ‘their’ wedding, but she’d somehow managed to allude him of the clothes her own women were to match within. It was in this she was able to think of their dresses, and while the end result ended being complimentary enough to not offset the rest of her future husband’s damned theme, it was unique and completely hers when everything else was not. As she brought the rolled-up posters to the center table of the dining area the nine had been lightly eating and socializing in, she gave a rarely genuine smile to them all before revealing what she’d been helped to imagine to life.

“You’ve really outdone yourself, darling!” Lady Sidgwick- no, Catherine, her only real friend within the group aside from her sister, exclaimed first. “We will look marvelous! I cannot thank you enough for such lovely designs and selections, truly.”

“Caty’s right, this is great!” Peggy chimed in eagerly while lifting the sheet with her own visualized rendering to look closer. “You said you thought of these designs all yourself, right?!”

Angelica nodded and beamed with uncapped pride for the first time since her birthday. The dresses she’d thought up were a deeply toned off-white with rose pink tints that showed particularly well against the hips, waistline and colored fully at the base. Each of them were fashionable enough, revealing their shoulders and plenty of range for their styled hair to show, and the backs were adorned with dainty rose-colored bows that wrapped around the waist. They were naturally somewhat modest but looked quite alluring in the renditions that were before them all, and in her heart she knew that these ladies would look far sexier than she. Equally in her heart, she was grateful she was at least able to give them that when it was stolen so brutishly from her.

“Are you quite sure that the bows will not make us seem childish?” Charlotte Frederick- granddaughter of the former enemy kingdom turned ally- asked in a polite but tightly laced tone as she looked over her own illustration. “It will be undoubtedly charming on little Margarita and those who are younger than myself, but I do worry a bit about how this appears on me.”

“I assure you that I considered all of you equally in my designs. You will look marvelous,” the bride-to-be replied in her own forcedly cheerful tone. “Do not fret.”

If she was really being honest with herself, Angelica did not care for Charlotte, nor was she all too fond of Elizabeth Ten Broeck, and how said woman grimaced and whispered beneath her hand to the aforementioned woman when she thought her hostess was not looking. For all of Lin’s accomplishments, Lady Ten Broeck and Lady Frederick faired from even more vast and gluttonously rich kingdoms, these lands being West York and Britannia respectively. Angelica was equally well-aware that these two lands had been around far longer than her own and that this contributed in no small part to their upbringing being so posh, but if her two less-than-welcomed guests had ever considered it, they damn sure didn’t let it on. The worst part of these two wenches being part of this was not even from her complete lack of choice in the matter, nor for her husband-to-be’s obvious eye for Lady Frederick. It was a unison between the relation between Lady Ten Broeck and herself through distant cousins of her family’s, and the fact that the witch shared her beloved, vanished sister’s name. Regardless of all of these realities, Angelica maintained her forced smile as she sat back at one of the tables.

“So, there has been something I’ve been properly curious about for quite some time, and I’m afraid I can no longer keep it to myself~” Lady Madison drawled out excitedly as she sat beside the bride-to-be and smoothed the rendering of herself across her lap.

“Is that so? Go on then,” Angelica prompted kindly.

“Do you and James plan on having children, and how soon?” The other woman chirped without missing a beat, immediately drawing the excited attention of the rest of her bridal court.

“You two will make beautiful children, undoubtedly,” Lady Adams chimed in. “With your family’s attraction increasing more and more per generation combined with his features. anyone would be envious of such a guaranteed result!”

The thought made the eldest Schuyler child feel ill. “I appreciate the compliments greatly, ladies; that’s very kind of you. I’m afraid I don’t know when… _we_ will choose to have little ones.”

“You are a bit young to be bearing little ones of your own,” Lady Hays interjected mercifully. “If either of you are in a hurry, I’d suggest adopting.”

“That’s true!” Catherine chirped, her eagerness suggesting subtly to Angelica that her childhood companion was no more thrilled by the idea than herself. “I presume we all know of President Washington across the sea. He runs a fine, upstanding country with incredible honor, and both of his little ones are adopted from his wife. It sounds like a lovely way to begin a family.”

“There is nothing at all wrong with adopting, but I assure you, there is no greater joy than the pitter-patter of little feet that you made with the man you love,” Lady Adams insisted, either not realizing how the mood had shifted or not caring. “Our little Nabby and Charles are gifted and the lights of my life.”

Angelica simply nodded along as the conversation descended into Lady Madison, Lady Adams and Lady Ten Broeck comparing baby portraits and parenting styles while Peggy held tight to her arm beneath the table. As for the others, Lady Frederick began to converse with long pauses and oversaturated sweetness to the ever-irate Lady Philspe, and Lady Hays had begun friendly conversation with Catherine, so the sixteen-year-old found reprieve to turn to her sister fully and quickly shush her.

“I know,” she interjected before the younger girl had opened her mouth. “I know. This is how it is meant to be, darling. I know you know this, so what is the use getting in all worked up about it?”

“To hell with that notion!” Peggy squeaked indignantly. “You don’t have to do a word of what they’re implying!”

“They aren’t going to be the only people wondering this, and I am quite sure Prince Reynolds has made plans for me to bear his sons,” Angelica immediately hissed while pulling her sibling closer. The last thing she needed was for these ‘friends’ of hers to overhear, and then where would these words she uttered now end up travelling to?

“Surely you’ve not forgotten you are not marrying to be his slave,” Peggy hissed back. “What the hell, Ang?!”

Angelica grimaced openly before burying her sibling’s face in her neck to prevent further discussion of a matter she _knew_ she couldn’t control. “I will hear nothing more on it, Margarita. Not here at the very least.”

Though she couldn’t avoid feeling how her younger sister’s face screwed up against her skin, Peggy thankfully kept her mouth shut. The servant from before, Elise, made her way back over and set down the pastries she’d suggested. The bride-to-be thanked her again and handed her sister the tart before devouring the flan herself to avoid further talk, a tactic that worked for an almost blissful ten minutes. Like all things in her life that caused her tentative joy, it was over before she could fully relax and she was brought back into conversation, but she supposed temporary reprieve was better than nothing.

“There she is!” A voice that was unfortunately familiar to her rang out after at least another half hour of dodging personal questions and indulging polite formalities. “My beautiful bride to be!”

“Oh, hello Prince Reynolds!” Lady Madison exclaimed first, rising up immediately to bow deeply in respect. “It is a pleasure to speak to you again, sir.”

“Yes sir, it is,” Lady Frederick followed up as she bent herself even lower before the prince. “If you wish for anything at all, please…do let me know, won’t you?”

Prince Reynolds- Angelica was determined to call the insufferable bastard ‘James’ despite his hatred of her non-formalities- smiled with not-so-subtle lust in his expression to Lady Frederick. “I certainly will, my lady.”

“I’m sure we have enough staff to ensure he is well taken care of,” Angelica interjected with false cheerfulness as she reluctantly bowed herself to her intended. “Thank you for your concern, Lady Frederick.”

“Now, Angel, don’t be rude,” James responded in a tight voice while his own smile remained like plastic mask. “Lady Frederick has been more than generous in her offer. Will you not allow another to be polite as yourself? She _is_ your bridesmaid, after all. It is quite customary for the bridal court to serve both the groom and bride.”

“Is that so?” The sixteen-year-old replied in a tone saturated with sweetness. “And here I thought you had your own court of men to tend to you leading up the occasion! Silly me.”

If James understood the biting sarcasm behind her words, he didn’t let it on. Instead, he walked over to the lady he was so clearly fond of and lifted her out of her knelt position with his hand beneath her chin. Lady Frederick smiled slyly in response, her eyes flitting toward Angelica pointedly as he drew their faces closer together. As much as she detested to admit it, a surge of jealous rage at the audacity of both them rippled through the intended bride, and she openly scowled at his back.

“Hardly appropriate behavior for a soon-to-be-married man, Reynolds,” Lady Hays sharply exclaimed from her still-bent position.

James’s expression darkened at once, and the younger princess couldn’t help but fear for her safety despite knowing that Lady Hays was a valiant veteran of war. The older man pulled away from Lady Frederick with slow deliberation, walking over to the woman with ominous purpose before seizing her by the hair and hissing something in her ear. Thankfully, it didn’t last; she rightened herself before he had a chance to pull back away and delivered a mighty slap across his face that sent him stumbling.

“You forget your place, young prince!” She thundered furiously. “You may be royalty, but I rank socially above you. My bowing is no formality and is no rule, and I shan’t make the mistake again. I suggest you leave this place before I have you arrested!”

“You _bitch_!” James exclaimed as he stumbled back upright, a hand going to his undoubtedly swelling cheek. “GUARDS! Remove her from these grounds at once! She is not welcome under any circumstance here!”

“I am sorry, Prince Reynolds, but you do not have that kind of authority here,” one of the supervising guards replied while not breaking his rigid stance.

Clearly put-off by the boldness of the palace officer, James spun around sharply and seized Angelica so tightly by the arm that she reckoned there would be bruises. “Well, _dearest_ , this is your domain. Order her away, _won’t you_?”

It wasn’t a suggestion; Angelica reckoned anyone who didn’t know it here was either too self-absorbed or naïve to see otherwise. Despite the order, her mind wondered to the possibility of her denying it while she still could. There’d be no small price to pay, but it would almost be worth it to see his smug face crumple with embarrassment, his façade completely fading as fury overtook his rationality. Perhaps then her bridal party could fully see him for the absolute prick he was, and the word could travel swiftly back to her parents. It could be the only way to have a shot at her freedom, and though she’d undoubtedly come away with harm done, would it really be worse than a lifetime with him?

“Angel.” James’s grip tightened further, his nails digging right through the thin fabric covering her arms and his breath hot against her ear. “ _Now_.”

She knew her skin was probably unpleasant to the touch now with all of the bubbling emotions threatening to erupt out of her lips, but that didn’t stop him. James Reynolds was a powerful and dangerous man, one who’d be responsible for the future of Delphia. Even if her parents somehow agreed with her that he was no good, the repercussions would affect her entire family and kingdom. There was hardly any denying that Lin would crumple underneath a powerhouse like his kingdom, and then where would they be?

“Guards,” Angelica announced in a voice that couldn’t help but waver slightly. “Escort her to the edge of the property. See to it that she does not leave; the royal family will have words with her in haste.”

“Yes ma’am!” Both the lead guard and two of his subordinates replied in unison, the three of them peeling from their posts in one fluid motion and quickly ushering the loudly cursing veteran away from the garden.

Despite the fact she’d done as he said, James’s grip over Lin’s eldest princess did not loosen. “Thank you, _my love_. Now, I think this is quite enough of this little…meeting of yours. Join me in my quarters at once, won’t you?”

Angelica desperately wanted to protest on a number of accounts, but something about the way he only let go once he’d slung her arm back into a natural position told her it would only make whatever was coming worse. “Of course, dearest.”

He gave her a tight smile and turned to face the other women, his painful expression shifting to a mask of polite cordiality. “I hate to cut this so short; surely you understand that I simply want to spend time with my intended before our big day. We have so much to learn about each other, you see.”

“I do see!” Lady Frederick chirped before anyone else could get a word in edgewise. “Please, do enjoy your talks! I’m sure you’re just destined to live _happily_ ever after!”

If the newly turned ally’s royalty was trying to be subtle in her patronizing, it wasn’t working. Angelica allowed her content smile to falter again as her intended bowed down, kissing the woman’s hand, and said woman gave her a sugary, oversaturated smile to drive home the point she was making. The sixteen-year-old felt disconnected from herself as she was subtly pulled back, a pair of arms wrapping around her so securely that she couldn’t break free without a sustainable bit of effort.

“Angie…I don’t feel good,” her baby sister murmured in her ear lethargically. “I think I need…to go inside, too.”

“You poor thing,” Angelica sympathized gently despite her already forming doubts about the legitimacy of this ‘sudden affliction.’ “I’ll get you back to Nana’s care at once, alright?”

“No!” Peggy whined, her arms tightening even more around her older sister’s middle. “I want you!”

“You want…me?” Angelica asked carefully, but the message her sibling was sending was clear moments after she asked it.

“Yes, I want my big sister to make sure she’s by my side if this is the end of me,” the fourteen-year-old lamented rather dramatically before burying her face into her shoulder.

“James…” The eldest Schuyler child announced carefully as she placed her arms over her sibling’s. “I’m afraid I’ll just have to meet up with you later.”

“Your duties to your husband really ought to come first, you know,” Lady Frederick quipped before James had a chance to open his own big mouth.

“As a matter of fact, I do agree that matters of the family come first,” the bride-to-be replied evenly. “Fortunately for you, the prince and I are not family yet. Feel free to do what you like with each other; I reckon you already do.”

With her dreadfully risqué words out in the open, Angelica quickly gathered her sister in her arms and walked inside as quickly as they both could manage. The older of the two quickly sent a servant out to reassure and take care of Lady Hays on her behalf before hurrying on the rest of her way with her now pale-looking baby sister. For the rest of the evening, the two Schuylers were able to be secluded within the walls of Peggy’s quarters, especially because it turned out the younger of the two actually _did_ have an upset stomach from eating far too many sweets in a short period of time. When the night was dark, they curled up together as they’d done when they were much younger, the older coddling the younger until she was fast asleep.

Logically, Angelica knew that she was far more powerful than that pathetic Reynolds’s son could ever hope to be. She was pretty good at controlling her naturally born gifts and was capable of doing more destruction than many kings could. Regardless of these facts, the sixteen-year-old was enveloped with cold, immobilizing fear around the man who determined her future. Even though she hated it, he would inevitably win thanks to a deal made long ago, and she only had control over the pain which she’d chose to live through. Even if she ran away to a land far, far away from here, the repercussions would always be permanent and potentially deadly to all of the inhabitants of what was once her kingdom. No good future queen could ever allow such a thing, no matter what the cost. Besides, she was sure her loved ones couldn’t take more heartbreak; they’d already felt far too much before this point, and surely her parents still knew some semblance of what was best for her.

Her mind would hardly allow her ease into pleasant dreams, but while she knew she still could, Angelica managed to rest with her resolve intact once more.

* * *

 

When Thomas mentioned that he was unimpressed by every attempt his advisors and parents made to convince him to marry another Monticello commoner, he supposed he should have expected to be forced out to find his own ‘new bride’. After all, King Jefferson was not at all a patient man, and his mother only had so much power over the man she loved at the end of the day. In truth, the twenty-four year old bachelor was well aware he was wearing them both down to their last nerves in this department, but his own resolve had never been stronger. He simply would not marry another and would see to it an heir be brought about through surrogacy, and that was that. After all, it was him who’d ultimately live with the consequences of his choice; his parents couldn’t hate it forever.

“Good morning, Prince!”

“A good morning to you, sir!”

“Wonderful weather we’re having! Isn’t it, Mister Jefferson?”

“Prince Jefferson, sir! May I please get your portrait!”

“A signature for our auction, our gracious Prince?”

“Mister Jefferson! A fruit basket for your prosperity and health, sir!”

As the young royalty made his way through the streets, he spoke politely to the commoners and indulged their requests. He even thanked the vender for the fruit despite the fact he got something similar nearly every time he exited the palace. He had no definite plan of direction, but as he wandered along the piers and admired the ships and boats sailing out with soldiers and families alike, he got the notion to join them. Many kingdoms neighbored their own, and to drift into enemy territory would have to be an intentional error. For these reasons along with the desire to be as far from his guardians as possible, Thomas rented himself a moderately flashy boat, one that he could spend the night aboard, and set sail with the same directionless leisure as he’d walked with. He even declined the offer that the sailors and guards made to accompany him. After all, he never left the palace unarmed; he could handle his own overnight.

“Oh, Prince~” A feminine voice crooned enticingly. “Won’t you come play with us?”

“Good morning, ladies,” Thomas replied nonchalantly. He didn’t bother to rise from his seat; they always came to him. “What brings you to the surface today?”

“We’re bored!” Another girl exclaimed, her face peeking up from edge of his boat as she lamented. “We want to frolic with the humans!”

“Well, there are plenty of young sailors out here,” the prince said, gesturing out to the open waters. “Why do you take special interest in me?”

“Everyone makes a big deal over our intoxicating beauty, but you’re quite the debonair yourself!” A third woman’s voice chimed in. “Won’t you take a dip? The water’s fine~”

“And how do I know this is not a trick made by meddling sea witches?” Thomas taunted. “I cannot afford risqué behavior. I’m sure you all understand…unless you can prove to me you’re more than that.”

“Boo, you’re hardly fun!” The first voice whined. “Fine!”

The three of them lifted their heads above the rim of the ships deck, their wet fins and skin sparkling in the light of day. They were admittedly pretty, even if they were far too young for his taste. The ringleader, a girl with chin-length hair colored a deep green, winked at him and lifted her glistening tail up with a pointed curl his way. He couldn’t help but to chuckle as he finally lifted himself up, making his way over to the merwomen now giggling as though they were schoolgirls. Most of their kind tended to develop physically and maturely before any human, but he’d learned from a young age what this species’ markers of youth were. The girls all had catlike pupils, their tail fins closer together than they would be at full maturity, and the redhead’s lips were far more richly pink than her counterparts. This trio was far, far too young, but the prince _also_ knew better than to piss off the merfolk.

“I see now that you are sincere,” Thomas said carefully. “And what do you want from me specifically? If it would not be too great a request, I ask that you mention all that you’re bargaining for upfront.”

“We want to play with you in the water! You humans are adorable in the open sea!” The redhead said eagerly.

“You won’t drown, right?” The second girl who’d spoken- she had black hair and deep brown skin, much like the one woman he was even remotely interesting in taking out- grunted. “We’re not here to waste our time with your corpse, human.”

“And you do not wish to engage romantically with me?” Thomas asked bluntly. “I’m afraid I cannot do such a thing with you if so, and I won’t take kindly to being deceived.”

The evident leader’s eyes narrowed at once, her fin flipping in unmistakable agitation before it disappeared beneath the water. “You human men are all the same! Is it impossible in your tacky, underdeveloped countries for a woman to simply wish to frolic with a man without any sexual motivation?!”

“No, it isn’t,” he interjected quickly. “I apologize for being so forward, ladies. I’m afraid I’ve been stung in that department in the days past.”

“Have you ever considered that your experiences may not be solely your own?” The girl with noir hair snipped.

Thomas gave them all his most genuine-appearing apologetic smile, and at once, their righteous fury seemed to waver. “Please forgive me. I will be sure to not be so presumptuous going forward, especially around young merladies.”

The redhead glanced at the other two, her expression making it clear she was waiting on some sort of silent permission to be granted. As soon as the green-haired merwoman nodded once, Thomas found his ankles to be seized by the very excited ginger, her nails digging none too lightly into his clothing and skin as she began dragging him toward the water.

“Come swim, come swim!” She squealed. “I told you he was a good one, I told you!!”

“Let me undress, let me undress!” Thomas yelped, falling fully onto his back with a rather ineloquent ‘thud’.

“Oh, let him disrobe!” The trio’s leader said pointedly, her words finally causing the younger maid to unhand the prince.

The rest of the morning and several hours of the afternoon proceeded as the bachelor figured it would. The mermaids were mischievous and flirtatious as they tried none too subtly to sneak peeks of his private areas on numerous occasions, not to mention their games getting his underclothes horrendously clogged with ocean water and seaweed. Nevertheless, he would be lying if he said he did not at all enjoy his time appeasing the rambunctious, mostly well-intended residents of the seas, and he waved his farewells with just a hint of melancholy when they’d finally tired of him. After all, it was rather infrequently that he set sail and even more rare that he’d be exposed enough to encourage merfolk to be mischievous toward him. Today had been an exception in nearly every sense, and he was enjoying it so completely that he decided to continue navigating the path he was on until he finally slid ashore to the kingdom of Delphia.

“Prince Jefferson? Is that you?”

“Pleasant seeing you again, sir!”

“Wow, Jefferson royalty in my own kingdom! Can we get a portrait?”

“Evening to you, young prince.”

 Not surprisingly, Thomas made his way through these streets similarly to how he did at home. The Reynolds family were not known by anyone as being generous or particularly mundane to talk to. As a matter of fact, they were a rather odd family- even by royal standards- and they’d kept their affluent kingdom pretty closed off in personal affairs in the recent half century. It was not hard to believe that the locals were very excited for any unusual visitors to walk their shores, and the more powerful and rare these guests were, the better. Thomas found himself quite enjoying it even as he traipsed through the walkways, all of his clothes reeking of fish and salt and rubbing irritatingly against his skin.

When he eventually arrived at the palace, he wasted very little time in allowing the staff to usher him inside, draw him a bath, and prepare quarters for him to rest within. Queen Reynolds politely welcomed him when he first came into the throne room to introduce himself while her husband seemed to be too enthralled in his newspaper to speak, but for the most part he was left alone (which was quite fine by him.) An exquisite dinner was brought to him in his quarters thanks to his being the only ‘proper guest’, and he found himself content to simply lounge on the balcony outside of his room when he’d finished indulging on the food.

“Let go!!” The last thing in the world Prince Jefferson wanted to hear was another woman’s voice, but the one ringing out against the night was far too panicked for him to ignore. “ _Let go_ , I say!”

“Shut your damned mouth before I do it for you!” The voice of James Reynolds responded in tight fury. Moments later, there was the unmistakable sound of flesh striking flesh, and a weak cry from the woman immediately following.

“Good afternoon, Prince Reynolds,” Thomas announced loudly and clearly. “You sound like you’re having some problems in paradise on this evening.”

The sounds of the scuffling immediately seized, but the hold James had on the young woman he was hauling behind him was impossible to miss as they came into view. “I did not know we had a visitor! Welcome to Delphia, Prince Jefferson, and please do pardon the noise, sir. I have a rather unruly shrew to tame before our union; I’m sure you understand, yes?”

Given the way the other royalty had spoken of his arranged bride as though she were little more than object for his pleasure and an heir-maker, it did not particularly shock Thomas that James would abuse his fiancé. The poor girl did not look afraid regardless, and for that he was surprised. She may be Angelica Schuyler and her tongue may have been as sharp as her intellect when he met her personally, but most ladies that actually knew Reynolds steered far away. He pitied the young princess’s fate being bound to the insufferable bastard, and while he could keep straight-faced and polite in the company of other men during socials, he did not find it possible to do so when the abuse was so clearly in front of him. He recognized that he may not be able to protect her for the rest of her days- that had to come from her own will to survive and evolve- but he reckoned that no sixteen-year-old ought to be thrust such a responsibly. Perhaps he wouldn’t feel this way if he were born in a much different time, in a different family, but he was raised much better than the likes of the older man trying to charm him.

“It seems you two are only going to get more at each other’s throats if you remain together,” Thomas said bluntly. “Why don’t I take her off of your hands for a while?”

“Well, sir, while I appreciate your…generous offer, I must decline.” James’s grip tightened more visibly on Angelica’s shoulder, and the poor youth grimaced sharply before her eyes locked on his own. “She must learn to obey sooner or later, eh?”

“You can’t teach anybody to behave if they’re highly strung up with emotions. I know from experience that hers are rather intense,” Thomas said easily. “Please, allow me. You can go do what you will without having to dote on her.”

Prince Reynolds paused now, seeming to consider his options before sharply jerking his hand away from his fiancé. The older man gave her a glower and murmured something in her ear that made her scowl, but afterward he did lumber off. The princess now smoothed down her gown and looked back up at Prince Jefferson; poor thing was probably trying to save face. Thomas gave her a polite nod and bowed ever so slightly to show his respects as her equal. Once she’d responded in kind, he took a step back toward the doors separating him from the rest of his quarters while being sure not to break his gaze from her own.

“I will be down momentarily, Miss Schuyler,” he called. “Do stay where you are.”

“I am in no mood for company, I’m afraid,” she said tiredly. “You ought to know that I do appreciate your efforts to save me. I mean this in all sincerity.”

“We don’t have to speak if you like,” he offered quickly. “As a matter of fact, we don’t even have to touch, or acknowledge each other in any way. I just don’t feel good about leaving you all alone, Princess.”

Angelica did not reply. She also did not move away immediately, so he took this as his cue to hastily get inside and pull on more presentable clothing. When he was fully downstairs and striding toward her directly, he still felt underwhelming in appearance, but at least it was acceptable in such formal company. His outfit, all of which was borrowed thanks to own still being cleaned and dried, consisted of a silken burgundy shirt with brown trousers that only covered to the base of his calves. He wore a pair of black boots that fit but were hardly broken in, his hair messily tamed by being thrown into a loose ponytail, and the socks he used to cover the rest of his legs were too thin for his usual style. At least the lengthy, navy-blue overcoat he wore was light and very breathable, so at least he had this to work confidence off of.

“Good evening, Prince Jefferson,” Angelica said as he drew close. “I do wish we could have met again under different circumstances, but…You know how it is.”

“I do,” Thomas replied carefully. “Are you-?”

“Yes, I am quite alright,” she interjected far too quickly and coolly. “Please do not concern yourself. I am no damsel.”

“Oh, there’s no doubting that,” he remarked with a light, sincere smile. “Regardless, that beau of yours ain’t no ‘prince charming’, either.”

The girl sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, both of which truly showed her age in his opinion. “There is no doubting that, either.”

“Well, the night is only young for so long,” Thomas finally said after a few moments of terse pause.

 “I have a place in mind for our…non-socializing,” Angelica said in a decisive, yet weak, tone that proved she was not as fine as she wanted to be.

The two young royals made their way around the outside of the palace, the silence between them simultaneously heavy and comforting. The cobblestone path soon gave way to smooth, cool dirt, and as Angelica led him down the hardly worn path, the sounds of rushing water and marshy air grew clearer. The sixteen-year-old finally stopped in an area made of clay and sand, so when she abandoned her low heels, he quickly followed suite with his own uncomfortable shoes and socks. The ground here was cool and soft thanks to the stream nearby that he could hear more than see, but as Angelica began a fire several feet away from him with seemingly no effort, he realized they must be in a designated place for eating around a bonfire.

“More tinder is in that shack,” she said with a broad gesture toward the right. “Will you fetch it?”

Even before he began, Thomas was well aware he was going to be stumbling through the dark rather than easily completing her request, but she’d been through enough without him being his usual contrary self. He finally delivered a few armfuls of the stuff and collapsed in a heap against the ground, realizing only after a few moments of catching his breath that a servant was just now being dismissed politely for the evening. As the household help began back toward the manor, he got a better look of the teenager keeping him company as she arranged unseen objects on two fairly large trays placed on the ground before her. Her gown was nearly see-through, but she’d sloppily pulled on a flannel shirt that covered her back and mostly concealed her chest despite it being unbuttoned. She also had high-waisted black shorts underneath the sheer base, and in the now steadily roaring flames that made the shadows cast dance across her body, he could see unmistakable bruises and welts along her hardly covered shoulders, collarbones and neck.

“I know you aren’t in the mood to talk,” the older prince said as the reality of her new life made his blood boil and stomach clench. “But I’d like to fill this silence with some thoughts of my own.”

“I do hope that they do not pertain to my life or the situations I cannot easily change within it.”

“Not if you don’t want them to.”

“Then please go ahead. You’re hardly a dull man, Prince Jefferson.”

A small smile graced both of their lips as their eyes met again, even if just for a moment. “Why thank you. You ain’t bad yourself, Princess.”

Time was both unreadable and irrelevant as the night made her way toward her darkest hours. Thomas talked for quite a while of Monticello and of the things he had mind to improve, create and even destroy before she finally revealed what the servant had brought them. At that point, they cooked their own hot dogs over the fire and did the same with marshmallows, cushioning both with bread and graham crackers respectively and decorating them with sauce and chocolate in the same order. As they finished up their treats in a comfortable silence, Angelica refed the fire and lit it with either matches or a lighter that he could not seem to make out against the black of night. She then shuddered and drew closer to the warmth, inspiring him to lift off the one article of clothing he felt confident in at the present and offer to her.

“Did you pick out that gown?” Thomas asked carefully as she tentatively accepted it.

“No.” Angelica’s eyes seemed distant, the reflection of the flames dancing against them feeling appropriate despite her blunt tone.

“You could change, and I could look away,” he said with a shrug. “What’s that bastard going to do about it?”

Her expression shifted to one of unmistakable sadness for the first time all evening. “I would imagine there is quite a lot he could and would do in response.”

“Well.” Thomas wasted no time in sitting up from where he’d been reclined on his elbows, his gaze finding hers yet again despite how the heat of the fire dried the moisture from his eyes. “He isn’t going to do shit tonight, and I’m not a disgusting pervert who gets my kicks from girls who aren’t fully developed into their womanly qualities. You can do what you want, but my offer isn’t empty, alright?”

She visibly hesitated for a few seconds more before nodding once, turning her back to him as she reached for the base of the gown. He scooted away from the fire and settled his stinging face against his folded legs, not lifting up whatsoever until she said she was fully decent once more. Now that she was wearing the flannel shirt neatly and the overcoat over it, she seemed much more like the spirited young lady he met at her birthday festival somehow. Her legs were still largely exposed and surely still chilly, so he kicked off his trousers and used his lengthy shirt to remain modest aside from his boxers.

“Here, I don’t need these,” he said as he tossed them over to her in kind.

“James will have a conniption fit if he sees me in a pair of men’s trousers, I’m afraid, but your offers have been beyond generous.”

“With any luck the bastard would keel over. I already told you, he’s not touching you tonight or any night I’m around. Haven’t you deducted you can believe what I say, Miss Schuyler?”

“Call me skeptical to a point of fault. It is more of a reflection of what I know of him than on you,” Angelica sighed, but she did bring the clothing up around her waist and tighten it around her hips. “…Thank you, Prince Jefferson.”

“Thomas.” He gave her a good-natured smile and tossed more kindling into the fire. “You took the time to remember my name, it seems, so I propose we move toward a first-name basis.”

“That would only be appropriate in privacy…Thomas.”

“I have been doing this a few years longer than you, Angelica. I still think it sounds nice, don’t you?”

“I suppose so.”

The night continued on, but the tension alleviated the more fatigued they both grew. She learned that he had quite a few younger siblings and the things his parents expected of him. He learned that she had one younger sister and two younger brothers, and that tragedies had occurred that never left the kingdom pertaining her late twin and triplet siblings. Occasionally, he would slip and mention ‘Martha’, or she would mention a ‘Betsey’ by accident, but they now had a mutual, silent agreement that they’d not press the other for more than they were willing to give.

As the sky began to grow more deeply grey than inky black, they walked side by side along the riverbank, pointing out when fish flicked against the beginnings of light or they found unusual objects decorating the shallow shoreline. Angelica seemed the most lively at this time, her conversation optimistic and informal as she admired the shells and rocks she either found or was given. He noticed she occasionally dipped her hands into the cold water fully or ran her fingers through her hair quickly, but her activities were more mindless than he’d seen them prior to now, so he took a strange comfort in that. After all, she was eight years his junior, and it seemed terribly unfair that he could be as immature and self-absorbed as he was at her age while she was practically middle-aged in her behavior alone. At least he was able to give her what nobody else seemed to be able to, even for just a few hours when sleep would’ve been much more proper.

“I have been wondering something,” Thomas confessed as they made their way back to eat the rest of the food from their midnight dining. “What brings you to Delphia so early in the year? It is August, and as far as I have been informed, your wedding is not until November.”

“James has not been ‘in the mood’ to travel to Lin. It’s rather clear what the reasoning is to me,” Angelica replied with a scoff clipping the end of her second sentence. “He is pissed that I did not discharge one of my bridesmaids after she told him what for. He wants to punish me for it in any way he can get away with, and he is much more likely to be excused for his poor behavior on his own grounds.”

It was vile, but Thomas was hardly shocked by news of that particular nature concerning Delphia’s heir. “So he is not entirely mindless. Instead of using his resources for objectively good things, he would rather use them for malicious treatment and laziness.”

“It appears so. I am sure there is more to him than what I’ve seen, but it is impossible to say before my freedom is fully sacrificed,” Angelica said in a dull tone.

“And I understand that there is no room to negate the path you’ve chosen, so I ought not bother, correct?”

Her eyes flit over to him fully and her mouth set in a hard line. “Correct.”

Dawn was beginning to sprinkle across the horizon when they finished another largely silent meal and packed up the trays and packages. She returned his trousers to him and offered the overcoat, but he declined despite how she slipped the gown back on and settled for tying the flannel around her waist. They made their way back to the Reynolds home together, her leading him once more, until they’d reached the area they first met in and she stopped to turn to him. When she extended her hand rigidly, he opened his arms for an embrace instead. He was pleasantly surprised when she took it, even if her hold was less steady and secure than the one he returned to her.

“Thank you for this evening, Thomas,” she murmured into his shoulder.

“You’re a damn badass, Angelica Schuyler.” Even with his face not pressed against her head, his tone was soft and his words were bold. “And I’ve seen firsthand that you’re a survivor, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it in a marriage. I’m fighting a similar battle, and it may be difficult, but you’ve got somebody to run away with, even if it’s just for a little while.”

When they slipped from each other’s arms, her lids were heavy and her voice trembled despite how she kept nearly pristine composure on her face. “…I hope to see you at the union ceremony regardless, Prince Jefferson. Goodnight.”

There may be worlds’ worth of difference between them, but Thomas mirrored her deliver unintentionally. “You will, Miss Schuyler. Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave kudos/subscribe/bookmark/write a review if it so compels you! ♥


End file.
